


Break My Heart

by Shadowkira



Category: Chicago Fire, Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bullying, Coming Out, Domestic Violence, F/F, Friendship, HBIC!Santana, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Skank!Quinn, punk!quinn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2017-12-06 08:29:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 29,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/733611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowkira/pseuds/Shadowkira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Multi-chapter, AU featuring Skank!Quinn and HBIC!Santana. Quinn Fabray is a new student at WMHS, dealing with the recent move and divorce of her parents. Quinn finds herself curiously drawn to Mckinley's head cheerleader, Santana Lopez. (Unrequited Brittana, mentions of past relationships for Quinn and endgame Quinntana) (Rated M for language, mentions of abuse and violence.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Curiosity

_   
_

_'Pop!'_

Quinn's lips tugged into a grin as tan shoulders lifted, irked by the sudden crack of the bubble popping. Several minutes passed and the shoulders slowly relaxed, lowering into their previous position.

_'Pop, CRACK!'_

Her pink lips tugged wider, her tongue easing the gum back into her waiting mouth as she watched the brunette turn around in her seat.

The cheerleader's brows were furrowed, her full lips turned down deeply. "What the fuck is your problem?" She asked, voice harsh.

The blonde she had been talking to blinked in confusion, apparently not as bothered by the sound as her friend.

"Don't have one, what's yours?" Quinn responded casually, settling back further into her uncomfortable chair.

A slender brow arched as she watched the dark eyes glaring at her dip down over her face and then lower, over her outfit.

The brunette's lip curled into a sneer before she turned back around to face her friend.

The classroom fell silent as the teacher returned, mumbling something under her breath as everyone went back to their work.

Class ended several minutes later, the loud ding of the bell followed quickly by a cacophony of excited conversations.

Quinn was up as soon as the bell sounded, glad to miss most of the traffic as the other students filed out behind her.

She leaned against a nearby wall, teeth worrying her lip as she watched them leave.

She didn't really know why she was bothering to try to get a rise out of the other girl. Although after more consideration she guessed it was curiosity.

A curiosity born at the first sign of the girl's volatile temper, which had begun to rear its head towards the beginning of class.

Quinn had popped the first bubble out of sheer boredom, the stiffening of the bronze shoulders catching her attention immediately.

And from there it continued, as a sort of game. Every few minutes when the brunette would relax she would blow another, popping it as loud as possible. Amused by the immediate contraction of muscles and the wait to see how long it would take for the girl to crack.

There were other less obvious signs that Quinn started to notice... Like the slight tightening of the other girl's already squared jaw as her head would turn ever so slightly towards the sound.

The closer she'd gotten to the girl breaking and twisting around, the more eager she'd grown to see those dark eyes flash angrily.

To hear the voice louder than the hushed and excited tone she had used with the blonde.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Quinn looked up as she saw a flash of red and white. Her eyes rose just in time to see the two cheerleaders exit the study hall. Her teeth released her lip and she pushed off of the wall, quickly catching up to the pair.

The pink haired girl leaned in slightly, her lips tugging into a grin as she popped another loud bubble.

The reaction was instantaneous, a flash of dark hair nearly caught Quinn in the face as the darker girl's sneakers squeaked on the linoleum. "What the fuck?!"

The students around them fell silent at the brunette's raised voice, the onlookers shocked by Quinn's audacity.

"Knock it off with that fucking gum before I _knocks_ it from your mouth, Pepto Bismol!" The brunette spat, her neck and chest flushing a shade darker.

Quinn's lips merely pulled wider as the blonde placed a calming hand on her darker friend's trembling arm.

"Come on Santana, we're going to be late..." She urged, the brunette's eyes softened and she immediately lost her fight. Her body went limp and began to turn towards the blonde but the dark eyes that flicked one last time to look at Quinn still had a hard edge to them.

Quinn smirked after them as the students around her began to disperse, seemingly disappointed that there hadn't been an actual fight.

 _"Santana..."_ She whispered, liking the way the name rolled off of her tongue.

xxx

Quinn sighed, sinking further into the worn and dirty couch.

"What's up?"

She blinked, her eyes moving to meet the brown ones watching her. "Nothing Mack, don't worry about it." She mumbled, exhaling a puff of smoke along with her response.

The brunette nodded with a shrug before taking a drag from her own cigarette.

Several minutes passed in silence before a loud booming voice brought out a frustrated sigh from Mack.

"Fuck... That time already? Time really flies when you're skippin'." The brunette groaned, throwing down her butt before extinguishing the cherry with the toe of her boot. "I'll see you later Q, tell Sheila and Ronnie I left already if you see them."

Quinn quirked a brow, getting up to follow the other girl out from under the bleachers. She squinted her eyes behind her sunglasses as they adjusted to the brighter environment.

A smirk pulled at the pink haired girl's lips as recognition dawned on her, Mack hated cheerleaders.

Quinn tossed down her cigarette, mimicking Mack's earlier motion and extinguishing the remainder with her boot before turning on her heel to make her way up the bleachers. Her smirk tugged wider as she settled herself onto one of the first rows, her eyes watched closely as the Cheerio's ran their warm up laps.

Santana seemed to be leading the girl's in their drills, the Cheerio's followed her as obediently as they followed their track suit wearing coach, Sue Sylvester.

Quinn licked her lips, tugging a fresh cigarette from the pack in denim vest pocket. She leaned back against the row behind her, a low hiss passed over her lips as the hot metal met the flesh of her arms.

A slender brow arched high as she watched the girl's move into formation to begin stretching.

xxx

"That's all for today ladies, now hit the showers!" Sue's voice barked out over the megaphone.

Quinn may have only been a student at Mckinley High School for a week but she had memorized the woman's name within her first two days. Sue Sylvester was hard to miss and even harder to forget.

Quinn inhaled deeply, taking in as much smoke as possible on the last drag of her second cigarette since coming up to the bleachers.

Her heart skipped a beat when she noticed Santana's body language shift. The brunette had been having idle conversation with one of the other Cheerio's, wicking some sweat from her face and neck with a small white towel. The girl she had been talking to must have mentioned something about the pink haired voyeur because her body had immediately tensed.

The stocky Latina had twisted around quickly, throwing her towel down in the process. She folded her arms across her chest as she stalked towards the bleachers.

"You again, Pepto?" She asked, disdain dripping from her tone as she came within earshot. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you had a big ol' lesbian crush on me."

Quinn put out her cigarette on the metal next to her before flicking it down by Santana's feet.

The brunette stopped in her tracks, nose crinkling as she glared down to where it had landed.

"Well, you _are_ hot."

Santana's head snapped back up, her dark eyes narrowing. The brunette's arms uncrossed, coming down rigidly by her sides. Her hands clenched and unclenched as her neck and chest once again flushed.

Quinn was now leaning smugly on the railing above her, lips still tugged into a cocky smirk.

"Fuck off." Santana bit out before turning on her heel and heading back across the field.

Quinn shook her head, before bringing her thumb and forefinger to her mouth. The loud whistle cut through the air and even at a distance she could still see Santana's body stiffen again.

The cheerleader lifted her right arm above her head, middle finger extended proudly as her left hand clutched her towel and water bottle.

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle as she made her way down the steps of the bleachers.

xxx

Santana slammed her front door shut, not caring that the glass trembled after.

Even after a shower and a change of clothing, her temper was running high. She had even decided to bail on Brittany, dropping the blonde off at her house instead of studying together like she had promised.

She didn't want to risk snapping at the blonde due to her foul mood and opted instead to go home, do homework alone and listen to some 'calming' music.

The brunette kicked off her sneakers and laid her bags by the steps before heading for the kitchen.

"Hey... You're a ball of sunshine today, aren't you?"

"Not in the mood Gabby..." Santana huffed, pouring herself a fresh glass of water.

The woman crinkled her nose, "What's got your spanks in a bunch?" She asked, watching Santana stiffen more.

"Nothing." The younger girl spat, clearly frustrated.

"Seriously, what's wrong Santana...?" She asked again, voice holding genuine concern.

Santana sighed, taking the seat next to her cousin and playing idly with the condensation forming on the outside of her glass.

Gabriela Dawson was the only cousin she was close to, both in age and interests. She had been offered a job at Santana's father's main hospital on the condition that she live in their home and help keep an eye on Santana while they were away.

"Just stressed... Already." She said, biting her lip as she watched a drop of water roll down her glass and onto the counter.

"I love being head Cheerleader but Sue's constant baying already has my ears raw enough to bleed. It's going to be a _long_ year."

Gabriela laughed, giving the shorter brunette a hearty pat on the back, "It will be over before you know it... And then you'll want it all back. The real world isn't nearly as forgiving."

As she finished, the paramedic withdrew her hand with a wistful sigh.

"How's work going?" Santana asked, knowing the first month after the move hadn't been easy for the woman.

She had uprooted her life for her job, for more opportunities and better pay. Santana's father, David Lopez was a renowned surgeon. He traveled often for conferences and had many business connections to help with his niece on her way if she applied herself.

Santana knew that Gabriela deemed the rewards worth the move but it was at the cost of being away from her family and her relationship.

"Actually, I'm really excited. They're giving me a new ambo partner. Her name is Leslie, she's apparently really cool."

"Good." Santana said, trying to contain the smile that threatened to pull at her lips.

She stood abruptly from the counter with a stretch, "Well, this has been nice... But my brief brush with my own humanity is over... I think I can actually feel my heart thawing."

Gabriela buffeted her arm playfully, "But seriously..." Santana continued, "I'm exhausted. Doing my homework and then I am _out_."

"Alright, sleep well. I'm on call tonight but I will have my phone on me if _you_ need me." She said, poking Santana's side.

The younger woman swatted her hand away, "Yeah, yeah..."

xxx

Santana was still on edge as she walked into school the following day, her eyes did a quick sweep as she walked. She smiled, allowing herself to relax a little when she saw no sign of the Skank or her pink hair.

The taller girl wasn't in any of their mutual classes either and with each class Santana's mood improved.

She was fine until she was on her way to her second to last period, a flash of pink hair knotting her stomach uncomfortably.

She tried to ignore it, the Skanks were well known for skipping class.

Despite her best efforts, Santana couldn't fend off the nagging feeling that the other girl was up to something.

xxx

Santana panted, her legs burning as she led her Cheerio's in their warm up run. The brunette's dark eyes moved over toward the bleachers frequently. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw silhouetted forms moving behind the fence.

Her eyes continued to check back to the bleachers throughout the practice and by the time Sue called for them to stop she had made up her mind.

Squaring her shoulders and straightening her back, Santana quickly made her way across the field.

The brunette moved under the shadow of the bleachers, the cooler temperature sent a chill down her overheated flesh.

She could still hear the other Cheerio's heading in from the field but her attention was focused on the scene before her. Her eyes narrowed when she saw no sign of the pink haired girl.

Her eyes instead fell on the angry glares of the rest of the Skanks, Mack rose from the couch to meet her.

"Whatcha want, Pom Poms?" She asked, blowing her cigarette smoke into Santana's face.

The shorter brunette fought down the urge to cough, "Just wanted to make sure your newest member got the memo... What's wrong Mack, can't keep your bitches in line?"

Mack took another step forward, staring down her nose at the cheerleader. "My girls do what they want, we break rules... Not make them." She exhaled into Santana's face again, slower this time. A smile split across her features as the Cheerio choked a little on the smoke.

Santana raised a clenched fist but faltered when Sheila and Ronnie stepped up behind Mack.

"Please, make my day..." Ronnie rumbled in a low voice, as she cracked her knuckles.

"Puh-lease, don't flatter yourself." Santana spat, hands flying to her hips. "I wouldn't touch any of you even after a long soak in peroxide."

Before the Skanks could respond the Cheerio had spun on her heel and stalked out of their lair.

xxx

"Where were you?" Brittany asked as Santana walked into the locker room, the brunette shook her head.

"Don't worry about it Britt, still want to come to my place to study?"

Brittany's lips split into a wide grin, "Yeah! Will Gabby be there?" The blonde asked excitedly, Santana shrugged as she started to remove her uniform.

"Not sure, she might be working... My parents are still out of town though." Santana said with a cheeky grin.

Brittany seemed to ignore that information, "I just want to see Gabby, she's always working when I come over..." The blonde pouted, Santana laughed.

"Movie night soon? I'm sure she misses you too."

xxx

Jamming out in her car with Brittany on the way home from Cheerio's practice had distracted Santana and left her feeling refreshed.

Brittany was disappointed to find that while Gabriela was home, she was still sleeping from the night shift the previous night.

The blonde was easily distracted back into happiness with Santana's offering of wine coolers and some music from the brunette's iPod.

Brittany hummed happily as she took her notebook from her back pack, Santana was still busy adjusting the volume on the iPod dock. The two were relatively quiet for the first half an hour, Brittany occasionally hummed or asked for help with her homework.

Santana reached for her drink, her attention shifted when she noticed that Brittany had stopped writing.

"What's up Britt?" The brunette asked, blushing slightly at the blank stare Brittany had on her.

Brittany blinked, immediately removing the pen she'd been chewing from her mouth.

"That new girl's name is Quinn, she's actually pretty cool."

Santana stiffened, the heat in her cheeks flaring hotter for a different reason. "Britt... You shouldn't be talking to that girl, she's trash."

"Why don't you like her?" She asked innocently.

"Have you seen the way she dresses? And she smells like an ashtray." Santana answered, shivering at the thought of the other girl.

Brittany rolled her eyes, "So does Puck and you like him." She countered, Santana's eyes narrowed and she slammed her book shut.

"That's different Britt." Her voice was low, as angry as she allowed it to get while addressing the blonde.

"Well, I like her. I think she's cool." Brittany shrugged defiantly.

Santana seethed in silence and squeezed her own pen in her hand tightly until her knuckles were white.

xxx

The next day Santana was on a mission, the students parted for her as she stalked through the halls. Her dark, angry eyes frantically searched for a flash of hot pink.

But once again there was no sign of the Skank, in or out of the classroom.

Fueled by anger and frustration, the cheerleader's resolve shattered after lunch.

Santana found herself once again headed for the bleachers, not even concerned that the other Skanks might be with this Quinn as well.

Santana's heart rate spiked as her eyes settled on the pink haired girl in the flesh.

Now she was seeing red, her body moved of it's own accord.

Before she knew it, her arm was pressed under the other girl's throat, pinning her to the fence she was leaning against.

Quinn gasped at the contact, the air forced from her lungs.

"Leave Brittany alone." Santana warned, eyes flicking toward Mack as the taller brunette rose from the worn couch.

"Or what?" Quinn asked, pushing her chest further into Santana's. "You sound like Chris Crocker." That familiar cocky smirk tugged at her lips.

Santana's face stayed angled towards Mack but her eyes flicked back to meet Quinn's.

"I'm warning you... _Quinn_ , do not make me go all Lima Heights on your ass."

A smirk tugged at Santana's lips as Quinn's eyes widened at the use of her name, too distracted to notice the shiver that accompanied it.

"You fuck with me, I fuck with you." Santana promised, her voice still low. She doubled the pressure she had on the taller girl, making her wince before withdrawing completely.

"Don't worry Skanks, I'm out. I'll leave you guys to help Pepto lick her wounds... My guess is she'll be into that." Santana sneered, turning on her heel to head back to school.

Quinn stared after her, eyes wide, lips parted and cheeks flushed.

She didn't realize Mack was next to her until the other girl spoke. "What was _that_ all about?"

Quinn blinked, her fingers loosening on the fence and her boot slamming down on the half smoked cigarette still smoldering by their feet.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She responded, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

Quinn chewed on her lip as she moved out from the shadow of the bleachers. By now Santana was almost back to the building. Quinn watched quietly until the brunette disappeared.

Apparently the only thing better than Santana's name on her tongue was the brunette breathing out her own.

xxx

By Thursday, Quinn decided it was time she return to class, despite her brush with Santana under the bleachers the day before. Ever since Santana had said her name, she couldn't get the dark skinned beauty out of her head, but she tried to forget that.

Most of the day passed without incident, until lunch.

Quinn sat awkwardly at a small table by herself in the cafeteria. She wasn't used to eating amongst her fellow classmates. Normally, she and the other Skanks ate underneath the bleachers.

Unfortunately, she was also attending class to avoid more questions from Mack. The self appointed head Skank was pestering her about why a Cheerio kept invading their lair.

Quinn crinkled her nose as loud, heavy breathing came from behind her.

"Do you mind?" She asked, glaring at the nerdy boy, who was leaning from the table behind to practically drool all over her.

His eyes widened and he stuttered out an apology before turning back to his tray of food.

"Back off Jacob." A deep voice rumbled before its owner settled himself next to Quinn, "You know... The geeks wouldn't be mouth breathing all over you if you were sittin' with a man like me."

Quinn's brow furrowed as the mo-hawked boy leaned in closer, his breath a combination of stale beer and cigarettes. "No thanks."

The boy grinned, leaning in closer. "Aww c'mon baby, don't be like that. Let the Puckasaurus protect you."

" _Puckasaurus?_ You cannot be serious..." Quinn said, not trying to mask the exasperation in her voice.

"You must be new..." He said, his grin never faltering. "I'd definitely remember a babe like you. Noah Puckerman but... My friends call me Puck."

"If you still have any." The two look up as a glaring Santana passed with Brittany. The blonde swatted her friend in the arm.

"Don't mind her, she just needs to get laid... Anyway, you're Quinn, right?" Puck asked, turning his full attention back to the pink haired girl.

"Yes..." She started, a little confused.

"Britt told me. You seem cool. We should hang out sometime." He offered, his eyebrows lifting as a more lecherous tone entered his voice.

Quinn chuckled at his persistence and shook her head. "Sorry, you're not my type."

Puck looked thoughtful for a moment, "Dude, I've always wanted a lesbian wing-man er... Woman."

Quinn quirked a brow, a small frown tugging at her lips. She couldn't tell if he was just full of himself or if he was actually perceptive.

"Britt told me you've been pestering Santana all week...Typical 'boy' flirting if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you, and it's not flirting." She corrected defensively, swatting his hand away as he stole a fry.

"Hey, no judgement here, whatever works! She is a _fine_ piece of ass..." He said, nodding to himself and popping the fry into his mouth.

Quinn grimaced slightly before her eyes drifted toward Santana.

The brunette caught her gaze briefly with a glare before looking back to Brittany.

It wasn't flirting, was it?

"Hey." Puck said, waving his large hand in her line of view. "I'm having a party tomorrow, you should come. Bring some hotties with you." He winked, "I'll have Britt text you the address."

Quinn stared after him, her stomach twisted at his words.

If Brittany was there, _she_ would be there.

Quinn watched as he made his way over to where the Cheerios were sitting. Santana punched him in the arm hard as soon as he sat down, causing him to scrunch up his eyebrows and rub at the spot.

The brunette seemed to be scolding him and in return, she was scolded by Brittany.

xxx

Santana had done a good job ignoring Quinn. Her first slip up had been during lunch thanks to Puck.

Brittany was talking to her and happily going on about her overweight feline, Lord Tubbington, one moment, the next she was leaning forward and tossing something passed Santana.

The brunette frowned, quirking a brow as she watched as Brittany waved and smiled over her shoulder.

Clenching her teeth, Santana twisted around to glare at the pink haired girl. Quinn merely shrugged.

The Skank cheekily snuck her tongue between her lips, a small bubble forming.

Santana's eyes narrowed further, Quinn fought down a laugh.

The darker girl yelped as a frowning Brittany gave her an annoyed pinch to her arm.

"What the hell was that for Britt?!"

"Be nice." Brittany scolded. Quinn snickered but Santana chose to ignore it.

Quinn watched the two quietly for the rest of the period. _'This party is going to be interesting.'_ She thought as she unfolded the small piece of paper that Brittany had thrown at her.

_Hey Quinn. Puck told me to text you his address... But I don't have your #, so I wrote it here..._

Quinn's eyes scanned over the address, before heading down to the next line.

_Hope to see you there! :)_

_-B_

xxx

Friday morning Santana walked down the halls of Mckinley with a wide smile.

Her mood seemed infectious, the halls lined with happy students.

Quinn couldn't help but notice the extra bounce to the brunette's step, or swing to her hips.

Santana had even managed to not glare in the Skank's direction during their brief encounters throughout the day.

Quinn was grateful when the day passed quickly, she was anxious for school to be over.

"What is your problem?" Mack asked, watching Quinn's leg jump with pent up energy.

"Huh? Oh, just excited..." She admitted sheepishly.

The crease in between the brunette's brow deepened, "For?"

"I'm going to a party tonight, you guys should come."

"Who's party?" Sheila asked, quirking a brow.

Quinn chewed on her lip thoughtfully before responding, "Puck's."

Mack's eyes widened slightly, " _You_ got invited to one of _his_ parties?"

Quinn nodded, Ronnie and Sheila rolled their eyes.

"Have fun. Mack's had a lady boner for that boy for years." Ronnie rumbled with a chuckle.

Sheila nodded, smiling at Quinn's lifted brows. "Why do you think she hates those cheerleaders he's always mackin' on?"

Mack glared at them before turning her attention back to Quinn. "Can I catch a ride with you, Q?" The brunette asked, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

xxx

Quinn pulled up to the address fashionably late, she and Mack stepped out of her black V.W. Beetle.

Quinn had reapplied her makeup, touched up her hair and changed into something a little more form-fitting.

The black, grey and pink plaid corset top was partially unzipped in the front. It exposed just a hint of cleavage. The back allowed a small window of exposed flesh between her shoulder blades and the lacing down the spine gave small hints to the creamy white skin along her spine.

The skirt was plain black, ruffle style, just as short if not shorter than the ones the Cheerio's wore. Black combat boots and some silver jewelry finished her outfit.

Mack's was much more simple. She wore black ripped jeans, a grey belly shirt and a well-worn jean jacket.

The two made their way quickly up the driveway, it was more than obvious that the party was and had been started for a while.

Puck nodded appreciatively as he pulled open the door for them, "How many are with you?" He asked, eyes lingering a little longer than Quinn liked.

"Us and two more..." Mack answered, leaning against the door frame and eying up Puck. "They're stopping to get more to drink."

Puck grinned, pulling the door open wider and stepping aside so that the Skanks could come in.

Quinn's pulse picked up as she made her way through the house behind Mack and Puck.

As soon as they reached the back porch Puck poured the three of them shots. "All of the booze is back here, beers in the cooler... Stronger stuff on the table."

He held his plastic shot glass in toward the two girls, "Cheers ladies, I hope you enjoy yourselves."

They clinked glasses before tipping their heads back. The alcohol burned as it washed down Quinn's throat, capturing her muscles in a numbing heat.

xxx

The pink haired girl had lost sight of Mack shortly after they had headed in from the porch. She didn't bother looking for her, guessing the brunette was preoccupied with Puck.

Instead Quinn clutched her drink and made her way toward the music.

Her jaw nearly dropped when she caught sight of them, their bodies moving effortlessly in sync to the beat of the music.

Quinn couldn't help but stare, her eyes moving down to appreciate both of the Cheerio's bodies.

She had never seen them in anything but their uniforms. As short as those skirts were, they didn't do the toned bodies and justice.

Santana was wearing a tight-fitting blue striped dress, grey faux fur vest and thick, calf high, black boots.

The dress ended just above where the Cheerio's skirt would but the tight material had begun to ride up as Santana's hips ground into Brittany's.

The blonde was wearing even less. A tight, white beater, black bootie shorts, loose tie and fedora.

Quinn gulped back more of her drink and leaned against the wall behind her. She was hypnotized by the two girls and the intimate way that they moved.

Her heart rate picked up more when Santana's dark eyes fluttered open, their gazes locking briefly.

The other girl's half lidded eyes caused a warmth to blossom in Quinn's lower stomach. Santana seemed to snap out of the moment as the song came to an end.

The brunette leaned in towards Brittany, whispering something before the two made their way off of the dance floor.

Quinn released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding after they disappeared. She shook her head and finished her drink before leaving the room to refill.

xxx

After refilling, Quinn had returned to watch the other party goers dance. She was relieved to find that Santana and Brittany were still no where in sight.

While she was gone, two couples had taken up spots on the 'dance floor.' The first was a football player and one of the cheerleaders, the second she guessed, was a football player and one of Mack's older friends.

Quinn blinked, looking off toward the hallway as she heard yelling over a break in the music. Santana was glaring at a frustrated Puck, Mack was glaring at Santana and Brittany just looked uncomfortable.

The blonde glanced over in her direction when Santana's arm extended toward the room, a blush burned hot at Quinn's cheeks.

Brittany squeezed passed Santana and back into the room, quickly making her way over to the pink haired girl.

"Hey, I'm glad you came!" She yelled excitedly, Quinn frowned.

"Doesn't seem like she is." She said, nodding toward Santana.

Brittany chewed on the inside of her cheek, "San is just wary of new people... She'll warm up to you."

Quinn nodded distractedly, still watching the darker girl in the hallway. She looked back to the blonde when she felt a gentle touch on her arm.

"Do you want to dance? You look lonely..." Brittany asked, frowning slightly.

Quinn shook her head with a smile, "No thanks Britt, I'm good."

The blonde nodded, flashing a wide smile before turning and finding a tall Asian boy and dragging him onto the dance floor.

Quinn watched them for several minutes after realizing that the fight in the hallway had dispersed, the others no where to be seen.

It seemed Brittany was an intense and intimate dancer with everyone she selected as a partner.

The guy she was with, Mike, thanks to a jeer from another jock. Was a pretty good dancer himself, he was more than able to keep up with the blonde. The two occasionally broke apart to have small 'dance offs' before laughing and reconnecting.

"Britt!"

Quinn looked back toward the doorway to where Santana was pushing through a throng of bodies. She watched the brunette's reaction as she came into view of the make shift dance floor.

The brunette's eyes flashed, widening briefly before flicking over toward Quinn.

The Skank's breath caught again.

She watched as Santana knocked back the rest of her own drink, draining the red solo cup before pushing it off on a nearby jock. The tall boy frowned and called after her but she ignored him.

Quinn's eyes widened as Santana walked right up to her, took her near empty cup and placed it on a nearby table.

Without a word, the brunette tugged her toward the dance floor.

The pink haired girl tried to open her mouth to argue but the words dried up in her throat at the swing in Santana's hips.

She couldn't help but stare, eyes trailing lower over toned legs.

Her breath hitched as Santana spun around suddenly, the bass reverberating through her body as they stopped walking.

Santana's brows were gently furrowed, her dark eyes sweeping appreciatively over Quinn's top. The taller girl suddenly felt hot and very exposed at the close scrutiny.

She fought back a shiver as Santana's hands moved to her hips, bringing her closer.

The darker girl kept her eyes lowered, a disappointed sound escaping her when Quinn's body and movements remained stiff.

Santana rolled her eyes, finally raising them to meet the Skank's.

"You need to loosen up, Pepto." She warned, voice low.

Quinn's eyes widened when the brief scent of alcohol was replaced by sweet perfume as Santana turned. The brunette's body moved flush against her own, agonizingly slow at first before catching up to the beat.

Quinn gasped at the contact, unable to stop the shiver that rolled down her spine. Her hands flew to Santana's hips of their own accord, holding the shorter girl against her.

She couldn't hear it but she was almost positive that she felt a chuckle ripple through the shorter girl.

The moment was brief, so much so that she couldn't be sure that it had actually happened.

Quinn tried to keep control of the reactions her body was having but she found it was becoming increasingly more difficult the longer that Santana's body gyrated against her own.

She bit down on her lower lip, a small whimper escaping before she could catch it.

Santana's body stiffened briefly at the sound, before her eyes unbeknown to Quinn, flicked over toward Brittany.

Quinn's resolve shattered when Santana's arms suddenly wound up either side of her head, fingers tangling in her short, messy pink hair.

A breathy moan escaped through her parted lips, there was no mistaking the chuckle from Santana this time.

The moment, however, was once again short-lived. A loud wolf whistle cut through the song, all eyes scanned the floor.

Brittany's finally found them in the dim light, her teeth flashing in a wide smile. She slowed her own dance to give a loud _"whoop"_ and two thumbs up.

Santana's body immediately stilled, her fingers clamping down roughly on Quinn's hair before releasing it completely. The brunette pushed the Skank's hands away from her hips and stalked away, off of the dance floor.

Quinn stared after her, distracted briefly from her confusion by the sudden loss of contact. Her eyes shifted over toward Brittany but the girl merely shrugged with a frown.

_To be continued in Chapter 2... Confrontation._


	2. Confrontation

Santana groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned down to pick up an empty cup.

"Why am I doing this again?" She asked, glaring at Puck.

"Because you cock blocked me, dude!" He shot back, his voice heavy with irritation.

Santana hung her head with a sigh, "Yeah, yeah... Sorry about that." She said before sitting down indian style, Puck watched her from the corner of his eye while he continued to pick up trash.

"How is it so easy for her?" She asked, tipping her head back against the couch.

Puck furrowed his brows, "Huh?"

Santana played with the edge of the trash-bag in her hand, "Brittany, how can she..." She gulped before continuing, "It's so easy for her to go off with someone else."

Puck frowned, his brows relaxing slightly. "Do you really need to ask that?" He asked, his voice soft.

Santana blinked, her head lowering to meet his gaze.

"We've been here before, it's been years but I'm pretty sure neither of us has forgotten." He said quietly, eyes suddenly finding the carpet more interesting.

Santana sucked in a deep breath, "Shit... Sorry Puck."

The mo-hawked boy laughed with a shake of his head, "Don't worry about it. It's ancient history. Just... Remember, not everyone is compatible."

Santana set her jaw firmly, her eyes burning at the thought.

"Hey." Puck started, making his way over before flopping down on the floor beside her. "If it's meant to be it'll happen... If not, you still have an awesome, hot blonde of a best friend. Aaaand, you can fuck whoever you want." He added with a wink.

Santana shook her head, wiping roughly at her eyes with the back of her hands.

"You're such a pig." She chided, elbowing him playfully.

"And yet... You still love me, even if it is platonic."

Santana nodded, "C'mere." She sniffed, pulling him into a tight half hug.

xxx

Quinn chewed her lip, her hazel eyes watching the opposite side of the hall closely, Brittany had been waiting for almost ten minutes for Santana to arrive.

The party had not ended the way she had hoped. After her brief dance with Santana the girl had disappeared and the Skank had decided to stop drinking. She lingered around the edge of the party, moving from room to room looking for the brunette. She was disappointed to not see the other girl for the rest of the night and Mack found her as it was beginning to wind down.

"This is why I hate cheerleaders..." The other Skank muttered under her breath before let out a loud burp and leaned against Quinn. The pink haired girl shook her head before she helped her friend outside to her car.

Quinn blinked as the head Cheerio finally arrived, she parted the halls with ease and didn't seem pleased to see the blonde.

"San, did you get my texts? I was worried about you..." Brittany started, gripping her notebook tighter.

"No Britt..." Santana started, trying to keep her temper in check. "You were _worried_ because you woke up in some strange _jock's_ bed."

Brittany's frown deepened, "Well yeah, it was confusing! But you didn't answer any of my texts or calls..."

"Just drop it, Brittany. I can't... I can't talk to you right now, okay?" Santana said, closing her locker with an unsteady exhale.

Quinn watched the exchange in silence, Santana's eyes met hers briefly when the brunette turned to leave for class.

xxx

Quinn kept a close eye on Santana throughout the day but the brunette's mood stayed the same.

At lunch she had seen Puck and Santana isolated to the far end of their usual table. Brittany was happily seated in the center, surrounded by giggling cheerleaders.

Come study hall, the Skank found it too difficult to remain quiet.

Santana took her normal seat toward the back of the class and in front of Quinn.

Brittany however, was seated toward the front of the classroom. The blonde had struck up a friendly conversation with a boy in a wheel chair. He seemed to be helping Brittany with one of her homework assignments.

Quinn glanced toward Santana, the brunette's head was buried in her arms.

"Hey, Lopez."

The Cheerio's body stiffened slightly but otherwise she remained still.

Quinn sighed, leaning over her desk even though she knew the other girl had heard her. "Santana."

"What?" The brunette snapped, finally twisting around to meet the pink haired girl.

"Are you okay?" Quinn asked, the gentleness in her voice shocked even herself.

Santana stared at her a moment as if she had three heads, "Minds your own business, Pepto." She grumbled before stalking up to the front of the classroom and swiping the bathroom pass.

Quinn frowned and watched as Santana left the room.

xxx

When she returned to school Tuesday morning, Quinn was disappointed to find the Cheerio's had yet to make up.

Brittany shifted her weight awkwardly from one foot to the other. The blonde had given up her small attempts at conversation after several minutes of silent treatment from Santana.

The day continued, eerily similar to how Monday had played out.

Quinn managed to hold her tongue throughout study hall, although she found it extremely difficult.

Santana spent the first half of the period with her head pressed to her desk like the day before.

The second half, however, was spent glaring at Brittany and the wheelchair boy.

When the bell finally rang, Quinn remained seated. She watched the brunette leave, hoping the other girl would look her way. Santana instead brushed passed the Skank's desk without a glance.

Quinn sighed and settled into her chair further to watch the rest of the class leave.

Her teeth worried her lip as Brittany shot her a small smile and wave before pushing the boy and his wheelchair out of the room.

xxx

Santana narrowed her eyes at the Cheerios seated on the field before her, "What happened today is _inexcusable_ , do you understand me?" She snapped, the girls all nodded in a silent reply.

"Good. Go hit the showers. No breaking formation tomorrow, I'd rather not have to go hunt down your sniveling excuse for parents when one of you is crushed or breaks Britt's neck."

The girls were immediately on their feet and hurrying off toward the locker rooms when she called after them, "I need _all_ of you in top form, we need to set a good example for the shit storm Sue's sending our way with these damn new recruits!" Seeing most of the girls were more worried about getting away from her than they were listening the head Cheerio swore under her breath.

She ignored the fact that Brittany had lingered behind the others, the blonde watched sadly as Santana gathered the cones.

The brunette was relieved to find her friend was gone by the time she had collected them all into the mesh bag in her hand.

She moved back to her water bottle and clipboard, making some unnecessary additions to her notes to give the locker room time to clear out. Her mind was a hazy vortex of confused and painful emotions and she was too wrapped up in them to notice the eerie feeling of being watched.

Santana squared her shoulders as she made her way back into the locker room and immediately headed for her locker. The brunette kept her eyes trained on her hands and the fresh clothing they were pulling free of her bag.

She changed out of her dirty uniform, trying to ignore the obvious burn of Brittany's gaze on the back of her head.

Santana's teeth worried her lip as she held the towel close to her body and made her way over to the showers before Brittany could work up the nerve to speak.

xxx

By the time she was done, Santana found herself alone in the muggy locker room.

The brunette sighed, glad that the day was over. She changed into a white beater and a pair of WMHS sweatpants, the rhythmic drip of the showers helping to calm her frazzled nerves.

Santana locked the door behind her before heading to the parking lot, oblivious to the eyes watching her as she exited the building.

"Hey."

The Cheerio stopped in her tracks, her teeth grinding together.

"What do you want, Pepto?" She cried angrily, turning to face the Skank.

"I... I wanted to make sure you and Britt were okay. I know I pick on you but you two seem close... It's sad to see you like this."

Santana's nostrils flared as she took a step toward the taller girl. "Sad? You know what's sad?"

Quinn remained silent, knowing it was rhetorical.

"Sad is when you're so fucking invisible that your name doesn't even show up in your yearbook, _Quinn_."

The Skank's eyes narrowed, "What?" She asked, before she could catch it.

"There was only one other _Fabray_ that went to your old school and she looked _eerily familiar_."

Santana's full lips tugged into a smirk as she watched anger flash briefly across Quinn's features.

"So..." The brunette said, stepping closer. "I did a little snooping."

Quinn's jaw flexed, her head tipping down to look the shorter girl in the eyes.

"Lucy had quite the makeover, didn't she?" Santana asked coldly, her eyes boring into the Skank's.

"Why?" Quinn asked, trying to keep any emotion from seeping into her voice.

"Oh, it's just a thing I do." Santana said with a shrug, "Always good to know your enemy, Lucy Q."

Quinn remained silent for a moment, her eyes searching Santana's.

"I don't have to be the enemy, you know." She breathed softly, Santana's eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Just back off me and Britts, it's none of your business." She spat, leaning in closer. "You stop digging into my life and I'll stop digging into yours, Pepto."

"Fine, do it. I don't care, I've dealt with that part of my life."

Santana squared her jaw, hoping to call the other girl's bluff.

"I can dig deeper." She warned, her voice low.

"I have nothing to hide." Quinn responded, her expression relaxing into a stoic mask.

" _Everyone_ has something to hide." Santana argued, her voice rising sharply.

"Then what is it you're hiding, Santana?" The pink haired girl asked, forcing Santana to take a step back when she moved closer.

She saw panic flash across the dark eyes before her but Santana buried it quickly.

"You're in pain... And it goes beyond Brittany..." She started, the brunette shook her head.

"Don't act like you know me because you _don't!_ "

"You're right, I don't." She said, her voice still soft. "But I recognize that look in your eye, I saw it in my own for the first sixteen years of my life."

Santana barked out a rough laugh, "I'm sure you did! You don't know me, freak! And you won't be getting the chance to."

Santana moved to push passed her and go to her car but a hand on her arm stopped her.

"Why did you dance with me?" Quinn asked, her mask slipped and her anger returned.

Santana laughed again, her lips curling into a sneer. "Keep your raging lady boner under control! That dance had _nothing_ to do with you."

Quinn's brows furrowed deeper, "And how the hell does _that_ work?" She snapped, Santana rolled her eyes.

"Simple. Brittany wanted me to be nice to you. I figured you could use a little loosening up... I didn't think that you'd be creaming your panties all over the dance floor."

She was disappointed to see Quinn's anger dissipate quickly, a knowing look filling the void it left behind. "You were trying to make her jealous."

The words had barely left the Skank's mouth when a hand cracked harshly against her cheek.

Quinn's grip loosened and Santana took her chance to escape to her car before peeling out of the lot.

xxx

Wednesday Quinn spent most of her day avoiding Santana beneath the bleachers. She even made sure to be gone long before the Cheerio's took to the field to practice.

On her way through the halls on Thursday morning, the Skank's attention was easily caught by a crowd of amused jocks.

As she walked passed them she realized that they had a much smaller boy pressed to the lockers. The pink haired girl narrowed her eyes and slowed to a stop.

"Hey Queen Freak... You weren't checking us out again, were you?" One of the taller boys asked, his voice dripping with disgust.

The boy shook his head, averting his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked, making one of the jocks turn.

He gave her a quick once over, "None of your business, Skank."

Her brows furrowed as her eyes met the boy they were bullying, he looked miserable.

His arms were holding his binder tight to his chest, shoulders lifted defensively as if he was expecting a physical blow any moment.

"Let him go." Quinn said, taking a step closer.

The boy's eyes widened in surprise, his tormentors all turning their attention toward the pink haired girl.

The jocks eased off of the lockers after a nod from their 'leader', to partially surround the Skank.

Quinn pushed passed the smirking giant in front of her, placing a gentle hand on the smaller boy's arm. "What's your name?"

"K-Kurt..." He mumbled, looking wide eyed between Quinn and the jocks still looming behind her.

Quinn flashed him a small smile before tugging on his arm to lead him away from the lockers.

She frowned when she realized the boy wasn't going to follow her and wasn't looking at her anymore either. His face had paled considerably and his wide eyes were trained on something over her shoulder.

Quinn turned, she saw a flash of blue before her eyes slammed shut. A gasp escaped her as the slushie dripped from her face and down into her top.

She couldn't see them but she heard several deep chuckles and the loud 'slap' of a high five.

Setting her jaw, the pink haired girl brought her hands up to her face. She wiped the cold substance away roughly, glaring after the retreating forms of the jocks.

"Thanks." Kurt said, his voice louder now that the other boys were gone. Quinn nodded, mumbling out a thanks as he handed her several paper towels.

She quirked a brow at him as she began to wipe some of the slushie away.

"After a while you come to expect it..." He said with a shrug, "You're still going to need to go to the bathroom to wash it off... Otherwise it will stain your hair and skin."

He looked around quickly, a smile tugging at his lips when he found who he was looking for.

"Mercedes! Can you help her clean up?" He asked, tugging Quinn over to his friend.

The darker girl nodded, "After that? Of course I will." She said, flashing the Skank a smile.

"Thanks." He looked toward Quinn, the girl was still trying to sop up the sticky blue liquid with the saturated paper towels. "I'd help out but... Sue will skin me if she catches me in the girl's bathroom again..." He said with a shiver.

"What's your name? I don't remember seeing you around last year." Mercedes asked, leading the taller girl toward the bathroom.

"Quinn, I just moved here... Over the summer." She said, tossing the now blue stained paper towels into the trashcan.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Quinn. What you did for Kurt was really brave. Thank you." She said, wetting a fresh paper towel before handing it to the Skank.

Quinn shrugged, "It was no problem..." She said, tossing the rest of the used paper towels before tugging at a piece of moist hair. Despite their quick efforts, the pink strands were tinted purple and blue.

Quinn frowned slightly at her reflection, "Thank you for the help."

Mercedes smiled as they made their way back to the hallway, "No problem girl, it's the least I could do."

Quinn smiled before turning to head to class, her eyes briefly met the dark ones watching her.

Santana's eyes moved over her discolored hair, a small frown payed at the brunette's lips.

Quinn kept her eyes on the Cheerio until she passed her, neither of them speaking a word.

xxx

Having skipped lunch with the Skanks, Quinn was pleasantly surprised to find Brittany and Santana chatting quietly in their usual seats.

The pink haired girl slipped into her seat just in time as the bell rang.

Brittany waved at her with a large, toothy smile. "Hey Quinn! You look like cotton candy!" The blonde said with a giggle.

Santana turned in her chair, her dark eyes once again sweeping Quinn's hair before moving on to the other girl's face.

Quinn fought off the urge to blush, unsure of how to read the darker girl's expression.

Santana's gaze lingered for a moment before she turned her full attention back to Brittany.

Quinn watched them silently for the rest of the period, occasionally doodling on the cover of her notebook.

xxx

Friday passed quickly for Santana, she and Brittany were back to normal, much to the brunette's relief. The mending of their friendship left her happy and refreshed after days without the blonde's company. Her heart no longer ached painfully in her chest and her mind was able to keep itself from running a mile a minute with confused thoughts of her unrequited feelings.

The lack of Quinn in the halls or classroom filled her with a different emptiness than the one she'd felt the days she'd suffered without Brittany.

Santana's teeth worried her lip as she walked off of the field with the other Cheerio.

"Movie night?" She asked, side eying the blonde.

Brittany's eyes immediately lit up despite her fatigue, "Really?! I'll call and ask mom right now!"

Santana grinned, her eyes moving to give her one last look toward the bleachers before the two disappeared inside.

xxx

Santana had immediately driven them home after stopping by the Pierce's to pick up extra clothing.

Brittany's grin widened as they came within view of Santana's home and the parked ambulance in the driveway.

As soon as Santana had the SUV in park the blonde was hopping out of the vehicle, "C'mon 'Tana!"

The brunette laughed with a roll of her eyes, "The door will be unlocked Britt, I'll be right behind you."

Santana quirked a brow when she came inside and saw Brittany standing at the end of the hallway.

"Britt, what are you doing?" Santana asked, unable to keep the amusement from her voice.

"Uhm..." The other girl started, her eyes still locked on the kitchen.

"Hello!"

Santana picked up her pace when she heard the new voice, she pushed passed Brittany and paused.

"Who are _you_?" She asked, arms crossed, one brow arched sharply above the other.

The older blonde laughed and put her coffee thermos on the counter.

"Name's Leslie." She said offering her hand for a shake. "You must be Santana, Dawson has been _raving_ about you."

The brunette's features relaxed instantly, "Nice to meet you." She said, giving the woman's hand a firm shake.

"Same." Leslie said, her smile growing wider. "And who might you be?" She asked, looking passed Santana to the other Cheerio.

"Brittany!" The younger blonde chirped, bypassing Leslie's hand to wrap her up in a big hug. "Keep Gabby happy at work, she's been super sad lately..." The girl said quietly as she pulled back.

Leslie searched her face for a moment, "I will." She said seriously before flashing a wide smile.

"How was school for you guys?"

Brittany was getting ready to respond when Gabriela appeared behind them.

"Oh, hey guys... This is Leslie Shay, my new ambo partner."

"We're already done with introductions." Leslie said with a wink, her body relaxing back into the counter again.

Brittany squealed happily, lifting Gabriela off of the ground and hugging her tightly.

The woman laughed, shooting her cousin a pleading look when she was still in the air a moment later.

"Come on Britts, Gabby has to finish getting ready." Santana said, unable to keep the wide smile from spreading further at Brittany's expression.

The blonde pouted but did as she was told, gently returning the woman to the floor.

"Yes, she does." Leslie said with a smirk, "I'm going to need my new partner in crime."

Gabriela swatted at her arm playfully as she made her way passed her and to the refrigerator.

"I like this one." Santana said, flashing a smirk of her own toward the older women.

Leslie's brows lifted in amusement, they stared at each other a moment before Santana's smirk relaxed into a more reserved smile.

"Just take care of her out there." Santana said, her tone serious as she repeated words similar to Brittany's.

"I will. You don't have to worry, she's in good hands."

Santana nodded, her eyes drifting over to Gabriela as she re-entered the room.

"So are you staying the night, Brittany?"

The blonde nodded excitedly, "Yep! Movie night!"

"Awesome, you two have fun! I have tomorrow off so we can hang out... If you want."

Brittany squealed again and Santana nodded, "Of course, we'll save some of the good ones for tomorrow. For now though..." She said, grabbing Brittany and leading her back toward the hallway. "We've got some homework to do, we have to keep your grades up Britt."

Gabriela smiled after them, "Have fun! I'll see you guys tomorrow!"

Leslie chuckled and Gabriela narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just surprised by how cute you are when you're being all domestic like this. Bet your boy loves _that_."

Gabriela blushed and watched as the blonde made her way toward the front door, "Come on, I want to get some food before we start shift, Dawson!"

xxx

Once they finished their homework for the weekend Brittany and Santana made their way downstairs to the kitchen. Santana popped a pizza into the oven and poured both of them a glass of soda before they moved into the living room.

They finally agreed on a movie, Brittany's choice of _Footloose,_ thanks to a suggestion from Mike.

The two girls settled into the couch, Santana sitting first. She was pleasantly surprised when Brittany wrapped her arms tightly around her waist and cuddled closer to her.

They sat like this for several minutes until the timer buzzed in the kitchen.

Santana rose reluctantly from the couch to fetch their dinner as well as the soda for refills.

Brittany joined her a moment later to help carry her plate, the blonde skipped back to the living room cheerfully.

They finished their dinner and resumed cuddling for the rest of the first movie. Neither of them made it through the second.

Santana blinked when she woke in the middle of the night, neck stiff from the position she had fallen asleep in. She sighed when she noticed Brittany still breathing gently into her lap. Her eyes drifted up toward the TV where she watched the DVD logo bounce around for several minutes.

The warmth of Brittany's body was familiar and calming, she allowed herself to forget for a moment, the heart break that came with it.

She sighed when the familiar ache finally chose to to rear its head, Santana shook the blonde gently. "C'mon Britt, let's go upstairs."

After a few attempts she finally managed to get the blonde to sit up enough that she could slip off of the couch to clean up and turn off the TV. When she came back she had to wake Brittany up again, the blonde had just curled up at the opposite end of the couch.

After several minutes, the two are upstairs in Santana's room. Brittany stretched and slipped out of her sweats before crawling into the sheets.

Santana came back from brushing her teeth and crawled in beside Brittany. The blonde extended her arm, giving Santana room to slide beneath and into her embrace.

Santana does so after some hesitation, she slid her face into the crook of Brittany's neck, her heart breaking more at their close proximity.

xxx

Quinn looked up from her food when Puck slid into the seat next to her.

"What's up, Lesbro?"

The pink haired girl shook her head, not even trying to stop him when he reached for some of the food on her tray.

"Hi to you too, Puck."

"You actually eat _that_?" The mo-hawked boy asked, nodding toward the Skank's double bacon cheeseburger.

Quinn smirked, grabbing the burger to take another bite.

"Grease not your thing, tough guy?" She asked, her voice amused and a little mocking.

"Nah, bacon. Jewish." He said, popping another fry into his mouth. "Just not used to seeing girls eat like that..." He added, not missing the brief grimace from Quinn.

"Anyway, how's Mack? She talk about me at all?"

"Mmm, she _did_ mention several times that she left your party disappointed but it would seem that was the fault of a certain Cheerio."

Puck grinned goofily at her, "Well, tell her I'd like to make it up to her. I wanted to invite you guys to my party this Friday. Half of the booze was left over from last time thanks to your plus two... And my mom is gone for the weekend, you're both more than welcome to crash after." He added with a wink.

"You sure you want that?" She asked, her eyes drifting over toward Santana.

"It's all good."

"That's what you thought last time."

Puck went to answer but they both looked up when one of the jocks that slushied Quinn slowed his pace to glare down at her as he walked passed.

Quinn's eyes narrowed when she noticed the medical tape and bruising on his swollen nose.

Puck rose from the bench, sending a quick glare after the other guy before stealing one last fry. "I think Lopez misses you teasing her." He said with a wink before sauntering back over to where the Cheerios were sitting.

Quinn's gaze followed him until he sat down before switching to Santana. The brunette was pointedly glaring after the bruised jock, her dark eyes flashed toward Quinn before she directed her attention back to Brittany.

xxx

It didn't take much to convince Mack to attend another of Puck's parties, in fact, the brunette seemed to be expecting it.

Mack had struggled to conceal her excitement after Ronnie and Sheila mocked her playfully.

The two Skanks arrived late again, the party already into full swing when they walked through the front door.

Quinn wandered through the party after doing two shots with Mack and Puck. The warmth of the alcohol running through her veins intensified as she drank from her red solo cup.

The repetitive cheering of 'shots' from the basement caught her attention and she made her way down the steps quickly.

She gulped at the sight of Santana leaned over Brittany, the brunette's tongue lapping salt from around the blonde's belly button before throwing back her shot. She leaned down closer to take the lime from Brittany's mouth and sucked on the tart citrus with a grin. Santana licked her lips as she tossed the rind over her shoulder and turned to bend down to kiss the blonde.

Brittany had other plans, the other girl was already up and moving to the music.

"Britt, c'mon, it's your turn!" Santana cried after her as she laid down on Puck's coffee table.

Her eyes narrowed when Brittany continued to dance, pulling a random boy to her.

"I'll take it."

Santana's head snapped toward the voice, her lips tugging down slightly. She watched as the Skank moved closer, passing her cup off to a nearby cheerleader.

Santana quickly scanned the faces of the people around her before nodding her silent consent.

She laid back down on the table fully, her eyes watching as Quinn moved closer still.

The Skank's hands gripped the table next to her thighs as she lowered herself to the floor, her eyes trained on Santana's.

From the corner of her eye she noticed one of Puck's friends pouring her shot. She leaned forward, right hand grabbing the salt shaker from the floor as she pressed her upper body against Santana's thighs.

She watched the brunette's neck twitch, the breath catching in her throat as Quinn began to tip her head forward.

It is released in a breathy gasp when Quinn's tongue slid down the dip in the center of her stomach.

Quinn coated the moisture left behind in salt, leaning down again to drag her tongue even more slowly to lap up the granules.

The brunette watched with rapt attention, Quinn grinned against her skin; loving the way the other girl's muscles flexed beneath her. She kissed the moist flesh before sitting back to exchange the salt shaker for a shot glass.

Santana blinked when a hand came down next to her head with a sliver of lime. She took it quickly and popped it into her mouth.

The Skank threw back the shot, licking her lips as she leaned down to press her upper body against the brunette's. Her hazel eyes danced in the dim light as they drew closer but Santana found her own eyes being drawn to the girl's approaching lips and mouth.

Quinn's lips parted as she closed the distance between them, her breath sending a shiver down the brunette's spine. Pink lips barely grazed Santana's as Quinn bit into the lime before taking it with her as she pulled away.

Santana's tongue snaked out absently to lap up the excess juice as she watched Quinn retreat from her seated position.

The pink haired girl sucked the juice from the rind before tossing it into an empty red solo cup next to the table. She sent a quick wink Santana's way before making her way back to the Cheerio who had held her drink for her.

xxx

After the incident with the body shots, Quinn had disappeared. Even sober Santana would have grown bored with the task of hunting down the Skank and drunk she'd faired even worse. Instead she got herself a refill before joining Brittany and some of the other cheerleaders in Puck's living room. The space had once again been turned into a make shift dance floor, furniture pushed to the edge of the room to allow people to cool down after dancing.

She had quickly lost herself in the music, her body moving fluidly with the body of her partner. One of Puck's friends, a tall muscular boy with bright blonde hair.

As the fast paced song they were dancing to came to an end, Santana moved away from him and off to the side of the room. She grabbed her cup from the small decorative table it had been sitting on and leaned back against the wall. Her eyes scanned the room, hesitating briefly on Brittany as she danced with Mike.

Santana shook her head, forcing her eyes away. They widened slightly before narrowing when she saw a shock of pink in the throng of bodies by the door. She gulped down the rest of her drink and stalked her way over to the Skank.

Quinn's back was to her as she chatted with Mack and Puck who had finally emerged from the mo-hawked boy's room.

Without a word, Santana grabbed the taller girl by the arm and dragged her toward the hallway. Quinn followed, her confused expression flashing to one of drunken amusement.

Mack's eyes followed them, her body tensing up a bit but Puck held her in his lap. "S'okay babe, Quinn can handle her."

The Skank's teeth worried her lip but she nodded, trusting his judgement and Quinn's abilities to protect herself if necessary.

Quinn chuckled, allowing herself to be led but slowing down slightly to annoy the shorter girl leading her. Once they were in a quieter part of the house, away from the majority of the other party goers, Santana turned. Her dark eyes flashed angrily.

"What was that earlier?" She snarled, keeping her voice low.

Quinn quirked a brow, clearly the brunette had slowed down her drinking after their little encounter.

"It was fun and I'm giving you options." The Skank replied with a shrug, her cheeks flushed from the alcohol.

Santana's body trembled slightly, her eyes narrowing to slits. "For the record, that will _not_ be happening again. I don't need _options_." She said, folding her arms across her chest. "I mess around with Brittany for fun, she's my best friend. It's _common knowledge_ that we've fucked around but I don't need people thinking I'm a fucking lesbian because I'm getting hit on at parties by a bunch of chicks."

Quinn frowned, her lips lowering into an almost pout. She guessed that the two had made out but the sudden realization that Santana had slept with the bubbly blonde made a quick flash of jealousy stab through her chest.

"Got it, Pepto?" Santana asked, raising the volume of her voice slightly to make sure the other girl heard her.

"It's just me."

"What?"

"It's just me hitting on you, unless I'm missing something." Quinn said, all hints of humor leaving her voice.

Santana grit her teeth, "That is besides the point! _You_ don't hide your sexuality, people will assume that _I_ am into girls. And I gots no time for that shit. You got it? This is Ohio and I have a reputation, one that I'd like to _keep_."

Quinn sighed, averting her eyes as she took the words in. The drunk half of her mind wanted to dispute them and remind the brunette of how into the body shot she had been. The sober part of her mind, however, knew what it was like to be in denial. Knew how painful it could be when your mind rebelled so strongly against the possibility of being gay. And the consequences that came with it made the internal struggle that much worse.

Pleased that she had gotten her point across, Santana sauntered over to the back door. She reappeared a moment later with an almost empty bottle of tequila.

Quinn quirked a brow but remained silent as she watched Santana grip the neck of the bottle before tipping the body back, the clear liquid flowing into her mouth.

The brunette grinned, smacking her lips as she brought the bottle down and away from her face. "Just remember to keep it in your pants, Pepto." She said, poking her finger into the pink haired girl's shoulder before returning to the party.

"Right." Quinn whispered, licking her lips as she took another sip of her drink.

xxx

Santana groaned, her legs wobbled beneath her as she made her way up the stairs and onto the second floor of the Puckerman home. Brittany had taken up the couch in the basement with Mike and Santana had no desire to stay anywhere on the first floor. She started for Puck's room but remembered that he and Mack had gone up together not long before she decided to make her ascent. She heaved a sigh and made her way back passed the bathroom and to the first door by the steps.

Puck only ever allowed her or Brittany to use his little sister's room, the bedroom was otherwise off limits to anyone else attending his parties. She jiggled the handle, surprised to find that he had left it unlocked. She shrugged and made her way into the dark room, kicking off her shoes and shrugging of her jacket before flopping onto the single.

She grunted when her arm landed on something other than the mattress, only becoming alarmed after a small groan came from the object. _'Person'_ , her mind corrected, even in it's drunken haze.

She tugged her phone from the small pocket of her shorts, her eyes widened when the light from her screen lit up the room.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me..." She muttered, glaring at the flash of pink that was illuminated by the phone's screen.

She let her head fall forward into the pillow under her chin, a loud groan muffled by the fabric and fluff. _'Fuck it.'_ She thought, sleep too close to worry about finding somewhere else to sleep. The Skank was practically off the bed and in the little space between the mattress and the wall anyway.

_To be continued in chapter 3... Lovefool._


	3. Conflict

Quinn woke early with a groan, her head throbbing painfully. Her body was stiff and curled in on its self. The pink haired girl stretched and smacked her lips as she cracked her eyes open. Her mouth was dry and her tongue cotton like. The awful taste of stale beer and her own morning breath made her wrinkle her nose.

She blinked, her eyes scanning the dimly lit room and widening when they fell on the lump in the bed beside her.

"Seriously?" She whispered, leaning over to get a better view and confirm the identity of the lump beside her. "When did _that_ happen?"

She sighed and let her head fall back against the head board after confirming that it really was Santana sleeping soundly beside her. "Well, at least we're both still clothed." She muttered, still trying to work out how they had wound up in bed together in the first place.

The brunette shifted slightly with a sigh, her face peeking out from under her hair.

Quinn couldn't help but study the other girl's peaceful features in silence, it was the most calm she had seen her. The pink haired girl's fingers twitched with the urge to move some of the dark locks away from Santana's face.

After a few minutes, the Skank sighed heavily and ran a hand through her own short, messy hair instead.

She shot one last look toward the sleeping girl before sitting up slowly.

Quinn shook her head as she looked over the small bed for the first time. She was honestly shocked that she hadn't realized the other girl was there until now.

The pink haired girl climbed over her bed mate carefully before she quietly made her way to the door. Her gaze flicked back toward Santana's outline, lingering for a moment before she made her way into the hallway.

The upstairs was quiet and mostly clean, save for the two empty cups by the top of the stairs.

The downstairs was another story; Quinn shook her head as she stepped over the body of a Jock laying at the bottom of the steps. Sleeping bodies, clothes, cups and other trash littered the floor.

The girl wrinkled her nose and made her way to the front door as quickly and carefully as possible. She fished her keys and phone from her pockets and shot a quick text to Mack. The other Skank could get a ride home from Puck. At this point, Quinn just wanted to get home and change so that she could go back to sleep in her own bed.

xxx

Santana stretched across the small bed and her eyes fluttered open slowly. She had slept surprisingly well, considering the amount of space she had to squeeze into.

The brunette sat up quickly, stretching her legs again as she stuck them out over the edge. She had honestly been relieved to find that Quinn was gone when she woke. She had stirred a little earlier and she guessed that was when the Skank had made her exit.

Santana hopped to her feet, ignoring the throbbing in her head as she made her way to Puck's bedroom door.

"You up yet, Puckerman?" She asked loudly, knocking heavily on his door.

A groan came from inside and the door was opened a minute or so later. "Why the fuck are you so cheery?"

"I was trying to be nice so you'd feed me faster... If that's not working I could try another tactic." Santana snapped, arching an eyebrow. "Get dressed first though, I don't need to see that." She said, wrinkling her nose when she realized how he was hiding himself from view.

A loud whine came from somewhere from behind the mo-hawked boy. "But I'm enjoying the view..."

"S'alright babe. I'll give you a private show later... Some people just don't know perfection when they see it." Puck said, grinning over his shoulder in Mack's direction.

"Gross. If you two go for a quickie, make sure it's just _that._ I wants to gets my eats on."

Puck nodded and waved her off before shutting the door in the shorter brunette's face.

Santana shook her head with a laugh and moved for the stairs, not wanting to stick around to overhear anything.

The girl sighed and shook her head as she took in the condition of the first floor. Most of the other party goers had already cleared out, leaving their mess behind.

Santana quickly made her way into the kitchen to grab a trash bag to start cleaning up. She had just made her way to the living room and was bending down when someone cleared their throat loudly.

"Hello, Santana."

"Kitty." The brunette said, straightening back up with a scowl. "I didn't even realize you had graced this party with your presence."

"Mmm... You did seem a little... Preoccupied." The shorter girl said, a smirk playing at her lips.

Santana's eyes narrowed and she flexed her jaw.

"What is going on between you and that _Skank_?" The blonde asked, leaning against the nearby wall.

"Nothing." Santana responded quickly, her body going even more rigid.

"If you say so." Kitty said, her thin eyebrow arching higher on her forehead. "See you Monday, _Captain_."

Santana stared after the blonde as she disappeared into the hallway. She blinked, brought out of her trance as the front door slammed shut loudly.

xxx

Quinn arched a brow, her fork hovering just in front of her mouth as two people slid into the seats across from her.

"I don't know what you did but thank you!" Kurt said, leaning in out of excitement.

"What?" The pink haired girl asked, looking between him and Mercedes.

"Girl, whatever magic you worked on those Jocks has kept both of us from our usual slushie facials."

Quinn glanced toward Santana and Puck's table, "It wasn't me."

Kurt's brow furrowed as he followed the Skank's gaze, " _They_ did it?" He squeaked in surprise, eyes immediately darting away from the table as Santana's dark glare found him.

Quinn shrugged before returning to her food. A few minutes later she found herself glancing back toward the other two occupants of her small table as Mercedes chuckled loudly.

Kurt swatted at her with one hand and brought the other up to cover his flushed cheeks. The Skank's eyes followed his as he glanced back toward Santana's table.

He wasn't looking at the head Cheerio though, instead his gaze was fixed on a new face. The boy was wearing the male version of the black, red and white uniform. His dark hair was slicked back and a wide smile played at his lips as he took a seat with his fellow Cheerleaders.

"Who's that?" Quinn asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

The darker girl across from her grinned mischievously, " _That_ , is Blaine Anderson. The boy that gives Kurt butterflies and a stutter to his pretty little heart."

"Oh shush." Kurt said quickly, flashing her a weak glare.

"He's on the Cheerios? Why haven't I seen him around before now?" Quinn asked, watching how easily the young man fit in with the popular girls.

"I heard he was on vacation with his family, he must have just gotten back." Kurt said, staring longingly toward the other table.

"Why don't you just talk to him?"

"Girl, I've been wondering the same thing."

"You two act like it's so easy! He's at like, the _peak_ of the social ladder and I'm down here." He said, indicating to the difference with his hands.

"Hummel, that boy would be lucky to have you." Mercedes said, shaking her head at his small frown. "You're cute, he's cute... And the boy could definitely use your support to lose some of the hair gel and bow ties he wears when he isn't in uniform."

"I think he has an impeccable sense of style!" Kurt defended, shooting his friend an offended look.

"You would."

"At least he's got better taste than your surfer boy, Bieber wanna be. Didn't anyone tell him this _isn't_ California?" The boy snapped before shoving a bite of food into his mouth.

Quinn looked between the two of them, amusement coloring her features as she watched the two of them bicker.

xxx

"What are you staring at, Pepto?" Santana snapped, glaring over her shoulder toward the pink haired girl as the weight of her stare became too heavy to ignore.

"Just trying to catch a glimpse of that tranquility I saw while you were sleeping."

Santana twisted around more fully then, her features scrunched up in disgust. "You watched me sleep? What the actual fuck, Fabray. That sounds like something that vampire creep from Twilight would do."

Quinn chewed on the inside of her cheek, a slender brow disappearing beneath her bangs. "You've read Twilight?"

"No, I was _forced_ to sit through the movie. And don't think that you're going to change the subject that easily..."

The pink haired girl shrugged her shoulders, her eyes still fixed on Santana's. "You're the one who chose to share my bed, you definitely weren't there when I went in."

Santana's eyes narrowed and her jaw flexed. "There was no where else, I usually stay in Puck's room but your Queen Skank was in there already."

Quinn nodded in understanding, finally breaking eye contact. "I didn't realize you were there until I woke up... Had to sneak out passed you."

Santana seemed to accept the response and her shoulders relaxed slightly as she turned back toward the book laid out on her desk.

Brittany was once again up toward the front of the classroom with the wheel-chaired boy, Artie.

With Quinn silent behind her and Brittany otherwise engaged, Santana dozed off while reading.

When she woke up at the end of the period, her groggy eyes immediately fell on a small folded up piece of paper.

The brunette looked up, watching as the rest of the students and the teacher exited the room. She rubbed at the red mark she knew would be marring her forehead. As the other stragglers finally left the room, Santana finished shoving her book into her bag.

She walked slowly toward the door, her fingers carefully unfolding the paper.

_"You're beautiful when you sleep, too. Even when you drool." -Q_

Santana wrinkled her nose, her free hand rubbing at a small amount of crust by the corner of her mouth.

xxx

Throughout practice, Santana had tried to fight down the urge to glance toward the bleachers. Kitty's sharp green-grey eyes had followed her closely.

She had thought that maybe she could make it through practice without incident. She should have known better.

A loud whistle cut the warm early evening air just as practice came to an end. Sue had already headed in, claiming to have an interview with the local news station.

Santana stiffened at the loud sound, she knew who it had come from without needing to look.

Setting her jaw and ignoring the inquisitive stares of the girls around her, she turned and stalked toward the bleachers.

"Hey." Quinn said, grinning and breathing out a slow puff of smoke. "You've got a little something... Right there."

Santana's eyes narrowed and she fought down the urge to feel her face as Quinn indicated to a spot on her own.

The pink haired girl pouted slightly when she realized that the brunette wasn't going to play along.

Santana was about to speak up when Quinn cocked her head and spoke again. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, we're not that close." The head Cheerio stiffened as Kitty's voice answered from just behind her.

"Mmm... Pity." Quinn said, looking between the two of them with a cheeky smile.

Kitty grimaced slightly in response and blinked up at the Skank. "You're disgusting, you know that?"

"Sticks and stones." Quinn said with a shrug as she exhaled another puff of smoke.

Kitty smirked then, "I'm sure someone like you would have gotten use to the verbal abuse."

The Skank's eyes hardened slightly and her cigarette hung dangerously from her lips as she leaned over the railing. "Someone like me?"

Santana glanced between the other girls, the awkward tension and pent-up irritation making her muscles hum.

Kitty's smirk widened, "A _dyke_ , don't act like you don't know. There's no way you could miss the talk in the halls..."

Santana and Quinn both stiffened at the derogatory term.

"You're unnatural, an _abomination_..." Kitty continued, taking advantage of the silence. "Tell me, does it _really_ get better?"

Quinn's lips pressed into a thin line as she took the cigarette from her lips. She kept her eyes trained on Kitty's as she flicked some ash down on the blonde.

"Surprisingly enough, even with a bitch like you in my face... It does. I've dealt with much worse, Barbie."

"What the fuck!" Kitty screeched, pawing at the ash and leaving dark streaks behind.

The blonde glanced toward her Captain, her eyes wild as the brunette fought down a chuckle.

"Don't just stand there, _do_ something!" Kitty cried, her cheeks and neck flushing as she looked between the two girls.

"And what would you like _me_ to do?" Santana asked incredulously as she folded her arms over her chest.

"I-You..." Kitty sputtered, visibly deflating when she remembered that Santana wasn't another one of her lackeys.

"Come on, Barbie. An _athlete_ like you should be able to beat down a _sickly_ delinquent like me." Quinn mocked, taking one more drag of her cigarette before putting it out and flicking it away.

She moved for the steps, her eyes never leaving Kitty's. The blonde narrowed her eyes, "Wipe that smug smirk from your crusty lips, _Skank_. You could never handle being a Cheerio."

Santana couldn't help but nod in agreement but stepped out of the way so that Quinn could stare Kitty down.

"Back off, bitch!" The cheerleader cried, slamming her splayed hands against the pink haired girl's chest to push her way. "And keep your nasty razor blades away from me. Daddy's got this body insured." She said, spinning on her heel and stalking back toward the Cheerio's looking on curiously from across the field.

"Rusty razor blades? Seriously? Not only is that insensitive and offensive... It's also inaccurate." Quinn said, shaking her head.

"She's not exactly the brightest. Her bitchy intolerance is over compensation for her stupidity." Santana said with a shrug, the Skank glanced back toward the retreating Cheerio.

"Charming."

"Mhmm. She is right about one thing, though."

"Hmm?" Quinn hummed, her eyes flicking back to Santana's.

"We _are_ real athletes and I doubt that your pasty ass could even handle warm ups." The brunette said, stepping closer her chin tilted up proudly.

"Is that a challenge?" Quinn asked, not backing down.

"Let's be _real_ , Quinn. Even if tryouts weren't pretty much closed... I know Sue Sylvester and she would _not_ want you for the team."

"Hmm... I'd hate the physical activity anyway. The toned legs and skirt combo might make it worth the effort, though..." She said, her eyes darting down toward Santana's.

"I'll take that as a compliment." The brunette said, turning to move for the locker room.

Quinn was about to turn away herself when Santana paused, "What did you mean back there...When you said you've dealt with worse?" The cheerleader's voice was softer now, more gentle.

"Don't worry about it. It's ancient history now." Quinn lied, flashing Santana a weak but genuine smile.

A small frown tugged at the brunette's lips but she nodded before making her way off the field without looking back.

xxx

"How much homework do you have, B?"

"Not much, a little reading and some math problems. Why, movie night?" The blonde asked excitedly. It was a little early for their weekly ritual but she wasn't going to question it. Brittany clapped her hands together happily, knowing that the small grin playing at Santana's lips was as good as a yes.

They talked about which movies they were going to watch as they made their way from the locker room to the parking lot.

Brittany frowned when Santana stopped mid sentence, her attempts at arguing the blonde's selection of another Disney movie dead on her lips.

"What is it?" Brittany asked, following the brunette's gaze. Her blue eyes narrowed when she caught sight of Kitty and several other Cheerio's surrounding a black V.W. Beetle. "Isn't that Quinn's car?"

"Yeah..." Santana mumbled in response, her fist tightening around the strap of her backpack as they drew closer to the other girls.

"Hey, Ladies. Want to add anything?" Kitty asked with a grin when she caught sight of the two.

Brittany paused despite the tan hand on her own trying to coax her back into motion. "What are you writing?" She asked in a quiet voice, her eyes sweeping the swirly scrawl on the hood of the vehicle.

Some of the girls by the back bumper snickered but otherwise remained quiet for Kitty to answer for them.

"Just leaving some notes for _Quinn_ , I told her that her cute little Bug needed some color. Come on, B. I'm sure she'd love to see that you'd contributed..."

Brittany's eyes flicked between Kitty's and the marker in the other blonde's hand. It was the kind that they used to decorate their cars before big games and they drew on each others in good fun often enough.

The fingers of her free hand twitched to reach for the marker but Santana's voice stopped her.

"Leave it, Britt. We won't be able to do movie night if we hang around here too long..."

Brittany glanced toward the brunette, her protest catching in her throat when she noticed the uncomfortable expression on Santana's face.

The two remained quiet as they made their way to Santana's parent's minivan. Brittany waited to speak up until they were pulling out of the parking lot. She studied Santana's profile, watching as the girl glanced into the rear-view mirror to catch one last glance of the other Cheerios.

"They were being mean, weren't they?" She asked in a small voice. Santana remained silent but her guilty expression spoke volumes.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Brittany asked, her voice a little louder this time.

"Stop them _how_ , Britt?" Santana asked, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she tried to fight the urge to snap at her friend.

The blonde shrugged her shoulders sadly and looked toward the floor of the van. "You're their Captain."

Santana snorted, her fingers tightening on the steering wheel. "They only listen to me because they _have_ to." she bit out bitterly before watching the blonde shake her head in her peripheral vision.

"You got the boys to stop their slushie attacks on Quinn and her friends..."

"That _wasn't_ me. That was Puck."

She tried to glance toward her friend but Brittany avoided her gaze and kept her eyes trained forward instead.

"Brittany..."

Sad blue eyes met brown, "I'm not in the mood for movie night anymore... Could you just take me home, please?" The blonde asked, disappointment rushed Santana but she nodded.

"Yeah, sure thing, B."

xxx

Quinn pulled into her driveway as quietly as possible, turning off her lights before killing the engine. It was dusk and the last bit of sunlight was fading fast.

The pink haired girl hopped our of her car and rushed for the hose. She unkinked the length of it before turning on the water, silently praying that her Mother wouldn't hear and come to investigate.

It hadn't taken her long to see Kitty's handiwork and she honestly wasn't surprised. She may not have known Kitty well but the girl didn't seem to mind showing her true colors. She may have been a pretty blonde but her personality left a lot to be desired.

When Mack had noticed the red, pink and white letters marring the vehicle's black paint her blood had boiled. She had personally promised that Kitty would pay but Quinn had waved her off.

She wasn't interested in starting an all out war with the Cheerleaders and the Jocks.

Moving back to her car, Quinn dug an old tee shirt from the trunk before attempting to wipe off the marker.

_'I love vagina'_ was scrawled in large swirly lettering across the hood, _'Munch Mobile'_ was written in bubble letters on either side and _'Needs to be fucked straight'_ was written across her bumper.

Plenty of people had stared and done double takes. Most had looked disgusted or confused while others had the decency to look sympathetic.

Quinn paused in her attempts to remove the marker, her body going rigid at the sound of the front door being opened slowly behind her.

"Quinn...? What are you doing, sweetie?" Judy asked, stepping out onto their porch.

The older woman frowned when she caught sight of the lettering that stood out against the dark paint of her daughter's car. "Who did this? I'm calling the school first thing tom-"

"No Mom, it's okay." The pink haired girl said, straightening back up from her kneeling position. "They won't do anything."

"Do you know who did it?" Judy asked, approaching her daughter.

"I have an idea." Quinn said, "but no _proof_. So it doesn't matter. Let me clean it off and then I'll be inside, okay?"

The older woman chewed on her lip for a second before nodding with a sigh. "Okay... I'll have a plate of food warmed up for you." She said, stepping closer to give her daughter a quick peck on her forehead.

"Mom..." Quinn mumbled, scrunching up her features and pulling away quickly.

"Shush. I let you dress however you want and I feed you. You can deal with a few kisses." Judy said playfully before moving back toward the front door to their home.

xxx

"What's up, Scissor Slut? How was your ride home yesterday?"

Quinn paused, her hand hovering over the book she had been reaching for in her locker. "Nothing much, Cum Dumpster." The pink haired girl sneered back, noting the way the students around them had paused to watch. "And it was quieter than normal..." She said, stepping closer as she spoke again. "Although your completely _original_ detailing to my vehicle did get get a few looks."

"Oh? Did they now?" Kitty asked jutting her chin out defiantly toward the taller girl.

"Don't get too smug now, they were all as unimpressed as I was, Barbie."

Kitty's eyes narrowed into a glare and she watched Quinn grab the rest of her things before leaving without another word.

"What are all of you staring at?" The blonde snapped, sending the students around her scattering to get back to what they had been doing before the conversation had started.

As her day continued, Quinn overheard comment after comment in the halls. She wasn't sure if she was just noticing it more because it had been brought up yesterday or if the story of her car had gotten around.

As soon as Jacob Ben Israel approached her in the hall and shoved a mic in her face she knew that it was the latter.

"So, word around the school is you're the resident Muff Muncher. Care to confirm that?" He asked, pushing his glasses up higher on his nose. His voice sounded a little hopeful, as if he wanted her to say no. She wouldn't have been surprised if that was the case, she had caught him staring at her creepily on more than one occasion.

The Skank's jaw flexed and she glanced passed Jacob and his cameraman to the group of smirking Jock's behind them.

"Sure thing. I love _'pink',_ it's delicious." She said, making a 'v' over her mouth and wiggling her tongue suggestively for the camera.

Jacob's eyes widened, nearly bugging out of his head as he watched the pink haired girl walk away.

"E-erm, there you have it..."

Quinn was so focused on working her way through the hallway as quickly as possible that she didn't notice Kurt making an attempt to catch up to her.

"Hey. How are you holding up?" He asked, panting slightly when he was finally beside her.

"Fine." She replied curtly, although she did slow her pace for the boy.

"Are you just going to let her get away with all of this?" He asked, side eying her as they weaved through the bodies lining the hallway.

"What can I do Kurt?" The Skank asked in exasperation, slowing to a stop before ducking into the entrance to a dark classroom. "The comments don't bother me, it's the _truth_ , even if it's said cruelly. I am gay and I love girls. I am _proud_ to love them."

"You really aren't bothered by it at all...?"

Quinn sighed, "Of course I am, on some level... More for my Mom than me at this point. I know she worries about me but this is honestly the happiest I've ever been. I was miserable before I was out, before I realized what it was that made me _different_ from most other girls. That happiness I found when I figured it all out is worth all of the comments and even the hate."

Kurt frowned slightly, his eyes falling to his feet. "I wish I could be that brave..." He mumbled, stuffing his hands into the large pocket of his pullover hoodie.

Quinn frowned as well, her brow creasing as she took in how uncomfortable he looked. The clothes he wore were huge, he was practically swimming in them. She noticed that ever since the day she had saved him from the slushie attack, he had worn baggier clothing. She would have to ask him about this later.

"Kurt." He raised his eyes to meet hers, "I'm not brave, I'm just being _me._ " She said, her look much softer than before.

The boy kept his frown, although it had shrunk and nodded his head slightly. He moved to follow as the pink haired girl started walking again.

"Anyway, don't worry about Queen Bitch. If I ignore her, she'll give up eventually."

Kurt chewed on the inside of his cheek but nodded in agreement. The Cheerio's did usually only focus their attention on one main target each week before moving on to another.

xxx

"Alright Ladies! Head in and shower off that awful stench of failure! I want to see some _perfect_ form next practice or I will have you all running suicides until your legs fall off!" Sue cried out, her voice booming louder thanks to her megaphone.

Santana was gathering up the cones when Sue spoke up again, surprising her. She thought that the older woman had already headed inside.

"What do you think of the girls who have tried out this year?"

"The baby Cheerios that are already on the team are doing well enough but the ones who we're looking at to fill the open spots, well... They leave a lot to be desired."

"Agreed. We're going to have to extend the deadline if we can't decide soon, Sandbags. Keep an eye out. We need our girls well trained, even our _babies._ "

"Yes Coach." Santana said before going back to gathering up the rest of the equipment. Once all of it was gathered up and put away, Santana headed into the locker room for her shower.

She had not seen Quinn all day, save for the quick glimpse of pink hair in the hallway.

The Skank had skipped study hall and had been no where in sight during practice. While she had not seen much of the girl, she had _heard_ plenty of talk about her.

The drive home had passed by in a blur, the radio and her thoughts her only source of company. Brittany was still upset with her and while they were talking, it was short and to the point and rather unfriendly. The blonde had sat up front during study hall with her new friend and had not said a word to Santana the entire period.

The brunette breathed out a small sigh of relief as she pulled into the driveway, glad to see that Gabriela was home.

"Hey. How was school?" The older brunette asked form the couch.

Santana gave her shoulders a small shrug, "It was okay."

Her Cousin frowned, "You sure about that? Why don't you tell me about it?"

The shorter brunette rolled her eyes with a groan but approached the couch regardless. She flopped down next to the older girl and crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's nothing that happened to _me_ , okay?"

"Okay, well, _something_ is bothering you... And you're saying that it's not something to do with the Cheerios or whatever you girls call yourselves?"

"No, well, not really..."

" Oh my God. Come on Santana, just spit it out." Gabriela huffed out in exasperation. Sometimes talking to this girl was like trying to pull teeth. She blamed her parent's, the two were never around and it seemed to have made her incapable of talking about her feelings or anything related to them.

"It's this _new_ girl at school. A girl on my squad is trying to make her life a living hell and people were already talking about her before Kitty even got involved..." Santana said quickly, getting all of it out in one breath.

"And where do _you_ fit into all of this?"

"Brittany is upset with me because she thinks that I could get Kitty and the other Cheerio's to stop. She doesn't like bullying, never has. And for some reason she's really fond of the new girl, Quinn."

Gabriela nodded slowly as she took in what the teenager had just said. "You feel guilty, because Brittany is upset... Or do you genuinely want to help?"

Santana chewed on her lip, "A little of both, I think..."

"Okay, well, why is this Quinn girl being targeted? Just because she's new?"

Santana shook her head, "No, it could be part of it but there's more. She's a Skank-" The girl's words cut off abruptly when Gabriela frowned and arched a brow. "No, no, the group she's in... They call themselves the Skanks. They're like the punk rebels of Mckinely."

"Okay then..." The woman said with a small chuckle before nodding for Santana to continue.

"Anyway, the Skanks have their own reputation with most of the student body... They're treated as outcasts. Quinn though, she's made things even more difficult for herself."

"Difficult how?"

Santana glanced toward her hands where they were fidgeting in her lap. "She's a lesbian and is _really_ obvious about it. Everyone is calling her names... Dyke, freak, sicko, _'the gross_ girl', _'Scissor Slut'_ and _'Muff Muncher_ '..." She trailed off then, guessing that Gabriela got the point.

"What do _you_ call her?"

"Usually Pepto, she's got this obnoxiously pink hair." Santana said, responding almost on reflex.

The older brunette chewed on her lip thoughtfully a moment, contemplating the wording of what she wanted to say. "Why are you so hesitant to help her? I mean, it's obvious you don't like the way that she's treated..."

It was Santana's turn to arch her brow, "I have a reputation... We bully kids, we don't protect them. Besides, people are already honing in on me because she teases me..." Santana muttered.

"She _teases_ you?"

"It's playful, not malicious... Puck thinks that she likes me. Problem is, Kitty thinks so too..."

"So, Kitty is trying to tarnish your reputation because of your interactions?"

"Yes." Santana said, frowning as she nodded.

"This Kitty sounds like a bitch." Gabriela said, watching as the younger girl nodded again.

"You have _no_ idea."

A silence lingered between them for a moment before Gabriela cleared her throat. "I can't tell you what to do, Santana. You have to decide on your own what you are going to do. You're concerned with about your reputation... I get that. Just keep in mind that your high school reputation is just that, it doesn't carry on passed that building. And those people who would judge you... Their opinions won't matter either, I barely hear from anyone I went to school with... And the popular girls who think like Kitty? They're nobodies in the real world." She said, placing her hand onto Santana's knee.

Santana chewed on her lip thoughtfully, "Okay, thanks... I'm going to go and uh, study for a little..."

"Okay, let me know if you need anything. I'll be ordering a pizza later." She said, smiling sadly after the younger cousin as she moved toward the stairs.

xxx

Quinn's first few classes had passed mostly uneventful. Even the chatter around the halls was less focused on her today.

"Looks like you were right." Kurt said lowly, glancing around them as he joined the Skank by her locker.

The pink haired girl shrugged her shoulders, "Told you. Although, I wasn't really expecting it to be dropped this quickly." She admitted as she entered the code to the lock on her locker.

She glanced toward the boys standing next to her as the lock clicked open, "Has anyone messed with y-"

Kurt gasped when Quinn blindly opened her locker and a rush of what appeared to be magazines came crashing to the floor.

The loud slapping noise the magazines had made when they contacted the linoleum had caught the attention of many of the students around them.

Kurt glanced down toward the floor, his eyes immediately slamming shut and his cheeks going bright red. "Oh, my God."

One of the magazines had fallen open on impact to reveal a very naked woman. Quinn's jaw flexed as one last magazine slipped out to join the others on the floor.

She could hear snickering and chatter starting back up around them. Heat was crawling up the back of the pink haired girl's neck and it wasn't from embarrassment.

Her hand trembled slightly as she reached into her locker to grab the Playboy magazine still staring at her from inside her locker.

The noise around her grew muted as she stared blankly at the glossy cover, she crushed it in her hand as Kurt spoke up beside her.

"Quinn, we've got to get these picked up!" He whispered urgently, his eyes flicking over her shoulder.

They were just getting ready to put the magazines in the trash when someone spoke up from behind them and made them both freeze up.

"Miss Fabray, my office, _now._ "

Kurt looked between Quinn and Principle Figgins, "B-but sir, she-"

Figgins held up his hand to silence the boy, "Get to class, Mr. Hummel."

She followed the man silently to his office, dreading the conversation that was about to take place.

"Take a seat, please."

Quinn complied silently, setting the stack of magazines down on her lap as she did.

"Could you place those up here?" He asked, keeping his eyes trained on hers.

Quinn sighed and averted her eyes as she did what he had requested. Figgin's eyes swept quickly over the cover of the magazine sitting on top of the pile before he sifted through the others to see that they were all of the same type.

The man cleared his throat and folded his hands on the desk in front of him. "We do not allow pornography in this school, Miss Fabray."

"I understand, sir." Quinn answered quietly, "Those aren't mine."

The man sighed, "I want to believe that but the students say that they saw them fall from _your_ locker. However, I wouldn't expect that you would want to draw attention to yourself after what happened last year..." He added quietly.

Quinn went rigid in her seat before shifting uncomfortably under the weight of his gaze.

"But, some of the other students are beginning to feel uncomfortable-"

"Of course. And who is claiming this?" She asked through grit teeth.

"I cannot tell you who's made a complaint-"

"Awesome. What's my punishment? Because honestly I would like to get to class, Mr Figgins. I actually care about my education despite my appearance... I plan on being someone and actually having a future once I graduate. So college _will_ be happening for me, regardless of what these catty _children_ pull."

"One week of detention and a warning, Miss Fabray... If this sort of behavior continues, we will _not_ tolerate it again."

"Yes sir." She muttered, grabbing her back pack before leaving the room.

Once she was out in the hallway, the pink haired girl chewed on her lip. She glanced toward the direction of the classroom that she was supposed to be in before glancing in the opposite direction. There was only about fifteen minutes left anyway, the damage was already done there.

She heaved a sigh before quickly making her way down the empty hall.

Once she'd reached her destination, the Skank inhaled deeply before lifting her hand to knock on the door in front of her.

"Come in." A voice said from inside and seconds later Quinn was ducking her head into the small office.

Her fingers tightened on the door knob, "Coach Sylvester?"


	4. Chapter 4

Santana arched a single dark brow as she made her way down the hall. She was growing increasingly annoyed as she noticed that more and more people were staring and whispering as she passed them.

She managed to keep her temper in check long enough to make it to the locker room without incident. She was disappointed to find that it was all in vain because she was barely in the door when Kitty cornered her.

"What the hell is she doing?" The blonde cried.

"What the hell are _you_ doing?" Santana shot back, her pent up annoyance releasing in one go. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about, Kitty." She said, pushing passed the other girl and toward her locker.

"T-that _Skank_. People saw her leaving Sue's office."

"So?"

"And you have no idea why she might be doing something like that?"

"No, but I bet you do if you're so worried about it." Santana sneered, stuffing her bag into her locker and heading for the field.

 

xxx

Practice had gone well enough, Kitty had left Santana alone during and the brunette had managed to make a quick escape after. She didn't want to give the other girl any opportunities to corner her again. Coach was still pressuring her about possible new recruits but no one worthy enough to fill the spots was stepping forward.

Sighing as she pulled into the driveway, Santana put the SUV into park. She was actually quite relieved to see that Gabriela was home and hoped that talking to the older brunette could distract her from her day.

She was surprised to find the house dark and silent when she finally got inside. Normally Gabby was downstairs, watching TV or reading. She looked around just to double check that her cousin was in fact not present before starting up the steps toward the second floor.

"Yo Gabby, you up here?" She called, glancing down the hall toward the other brunette's room.

"Yeah, sorry... I'm in here."

"You feeling okay?" Santana asked as she pushed the door to the room open slightly.

As soon as she saw Gabriela's face she was sure that she had her answer. The woman's eyes were puffy from crying and her hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail. "What happened?" Santana asked, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.

"Matt... He, broke things off..." Gabriela said quietly, averting her eyes. Santana had known for a while that things were tense between the two of them ever since Gabriela had moved. But she had hoped that Matt would realize that her cousin loved him, regardless of where she lived.

"I'm sorry." She said, reaching out to grab Gabby's hand and squeeze it. "He's a piece of shit. You'll find someone better."

The woman laughed, a stray tear rolling down her cheek. "Yeah, he is. Some of our old friend's told me they think it's because his ex is back in town..."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, wow, what an asshole. He doesn't deserve you."

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll be fine. I'm just going to work through it. Picked up some extra shifts after this weekend, so we won't be seeing each other as much."

"Oh, whatever will I do? I'm sure the break from me will do you some good. Tell Leslie I said hi." Santana joked, rising from the bed and moving for the hallway.

She paused though, right over the threshold. "Take care of yourself okay? If working helps, do it but if you need a break... Then do that. I'll be here if you need me." She offered with a shy smile.

Gabriela smiled back, "Will do, thanks hun."

 

xxx

"So, is it true?" Kurt asked, sliding up beside Quinn at her locker Thursday morning.

"Is _what_ true?" She asked, without looking up.

"You were seen leaving Sylvester's office yesterday?"

The Skank rolled her eyes, "Is that why everyone is staring at me?"

"Yeah, I don't think it's the pink hair anymore." Mercedes said with a chuckle as she joined the conversation.

Quinn frowned and looked back toward her locker. She had been hoping to keep her visit with Sue quiet but their conversation had lasted longer than she intended.

 _"Sooo…?"_ Kurt asked, trying to catch her attention again. The pink haired girl narrowed her eyes as she side eyed him.

The three of them were so engrossed in their conversation and morning rituals that they didn't notice the three jocks approaching until it was too late.

"Hey, Skank."

Quinn turned, her eyes widening as a shock of cold washed over her hips and thighs. She could hear Mercedes gasp next to her but her eyes shot toward the grinning bully in front of her.

She could still feel the red slush soaking in and sliding down her legs as she stared the taller student down.

He nodded his head toward the boy to his right and within seconds she heard Kurt gasping as he too was hit.

"Wouldn't want you to feel left out, Hummel. I'm sure fags get their periods too."

Quinn's teeth ground together slightly as she set her jaw, "What did you just say to him?"

She ignored the guys on either side of him, congratulating him for his apparently witty insult.

His lips pulled into a stupidly lopsided grin, "Faggot, why, does that _bother_ you?" He asked, his voice dripping in mock concern.

He barely had time to finish speaking when Quinn's fist smashed into his still bruised nose.

The jock let out a loud howl of pain, his hands coming up to try to stop the blood that was already dripping to the floor. When he realized that it was futile to try stop it he instead turned his attention back to the Skank.

"You bitch!"

Quinn slipped passed him easily, a chuckle escaping her when he practically slammed face first into the lockers. Her smile quickly disappeared though as she was grabbed by one of the other boys.

"Here Josh, I got her." He said, his fingers tightening their grip on her biceps.

The jock she'd hit, Josh, turned back toward them. A thick line of blood coating him from the base of his nose all the way down to his chin. He stepped closer, his fist clenching and unclenching at his side.

Quinn squirmed in vain against the strong body holding her still. Kurt and Mercedes could only look on in horror as Josh brought his hand up.

"Josh Coleman, Figgins' office, _now_."

Quinn exhaled a slow sigh of relief as the hands holding her in place released her, Sue's voice sending them right after their friend.

"You, come with me." The woman said, her eyes scanning the Skank quickly as if to check her for injuries. "And you two, go get cleaned up and get back to class. If your teachers give you any lip, you tell them to come to me." She said to Mercedes and Kurt, the two nodded before heading for the nearest bathroom.

 

xxx

Quinn peeked her head out from around the door to Sue's private bathroom. The sweatpants she had been given to wear felt strange after the light grey skinny jeans she had been wearing until that point.

"Come on in, love child of Alecia Moore and Amy Lee. Take a seat." The blonde said from behind her desk. Quinn arched a brow, unsure if it was meant as a compliment or an insult from the older woman. She shut the door behind her before silently complying.

Sue rapped her fingers against her desk for a moment as she looked over some paperwork set out in front of her.

"Fabray, I get that those guys are assholes." She said finally, sitting back in her large chair. "Josh Coleman especially, but, I cannot have members of my squad getting into fist fights."

Quinn narrowed her eyes, "What?"

"I've been thinking about our little chat yesterday and I want you on my team. I like you, Fabray. You've got spunk and that high lighter hair of yours is bound to hold the attention of these small town bumpkins."

The pink haired girl simply stared for a moment, not really sure of how to respond.

"Unless you're reconsidering?" Sue continued, her smile quickly disappearing.

"No, I'm not. I'm just surprised by how quickly you made your decision." Quinn admitted, not mentioning her surprise in being picked at all.

"Well, given your athletic history... We need to make sure you're whipped into shape before the first game."

Quinn nodded slowly, her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

"Just a friendly reminder... We won't go easy on you." Sue said, sliding the paperwork across the table so that it was in front of the girl. "Get this signed, you have your own car, right? No need to get a ride from Mom or Dad?"

"Mom." Quinn said, looking up from the paperwork. "And yes, I have my own ride, Coach."

"Good, see you tomorrow for practice, Fabray."

 

xxx

"What's up with the sweats, Pepto?" Santana asked, appearing slightly amused by the Skank's wardrobe.

Quinn rolled her eyes as she took her usual seat behind the brunette. "Don't you already know?"

Santana arched a brow, her smile quickly disappearing at the other girl's tone. "No... Should I?" She asked, some annoyance seeping into her own voice.

"Kurt, Mercedes and I were all slushied earlier." She responded evenly before leaning back in her chair.

"What?" Santana asked, twisting around a little more fully to face the pink haired girl.

Quinn sighed and decided that the genuine surprise from Santana was worth dropping the attitude. "It's whatever."

"Who did it?" Santana asked, anger creeping into her tone.

"Don't worry about it, Santana."

Quinn leaned forward then, her expression suggesting that she didn't want to talk about it anymore. She folded her arms over the flat surface of her desk before resting her chin atop them.

"Quinn..."

The pink haired girl blinked, surprised by the use of her name. She sighed before averting her eyes from the dark ones watching her closely. "Josh, Josh Coleman and two other guys. But I already took care of it."

Santana's eyes narrowed but she nodded, "It was probably for Kitty... She's been freaking out about you visiting Sue in her office?"

The other girl gave a short laugh, flashing her white teeth in a broad smile. "Good. Let her freak out. She stuffed a bunch of PlayBoy mags in my locker."

Santana's eyes widened, "What? That was you?" She asked, she had heard bits and pieces of a story floating around the school but hadn't heard who it had involved.

Quinn laughed sarcastically, "Yes, Santana. That was me."

"No wonder she was worried..." The brunette muttered, ignoring the sarcasm.

"Sue broke it up today so... I'm sure all deserving parties will get theirs. She isn't half bad when she isn't yelling into a megaphone."

"Yeah, sure." Santana said quietly, she wasn't sure why but she felt as though Quinn wasn't saying something. And that something was the reason she didn't care to incriminate Kitty.

 

xxx

"Mom? I'm home." Quinn called, shrugging off her backpack and closing the door behind her.

"Hello, dear! How was school?" Judy called from where she had been reading by the kitchen counter.

"It was alright." Quinn lied as she entered the room. She paused a moment to dig around in her bag before pulling out the paperwork Sue had given her. "I need you to sign this."

"Oh?" Judy asked, placing her book down completely to accept the papers. " _Cheerleading_?" The older woman asked, not even trying to hide her surprise.

"Uhh, yeah... They needed to fill a spot and I needed something extra in my schedule."

Judy arched a single brow, not very convinced.

"Seriously Mom, I want to try."

"Quinn, the last time you tried out for a cheer squad-"

"I remember, believe me. It's different this time, I've got some friends on the squad."

"Okay sweetie, if you're sure..." Judy said, looking over the paperwork quietly. By the time she was done, Quinn had pulled a pen from her bag for her to use.

 

xxx

Quinn felt an odd sort of excitement twist her stomach when she walked into school on Friday. She ignored the other students around her as she made her way to her locker.

She quickly opened it before discreetly moving a small gym bag from her backpack to one of the small metal hooks inside.

The pink haired girl jumped when Kurt appeared beside her suddenly. "Morning, Quinn!" He exclaimed in a chipper voice.

"Thanks for the heart-attack..." The Skank mumbled, grabbing her books before slamming her locker shut.

"Sorry." Kurt said sheepishly as he slid his hands into the waist pocket of his oversized black hoodie.

Quinn shrugged and turned to head for her first class, "It's cool. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you... What's with the clothes?" She asked, side eying him as they walked.

The boy immediately went scarlet, "What do you mean? What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing, I guess. They just don't seem like the same style of stuff you were wearing the day I met you."

He swallowed and slowed his pace. "They aren't. And I hate them." He admitted.

"So why wear them?"

"I get picked on less when I do. I wore my usual clothes for the first couple of weeks because I was stupid enough to think that being a Senior would help but it didn't. So, I swapped mine out for Finn's."

Quinn frowned, "Who's Finn?"

"My older Brother... He already graduated, before I even made it into the high school. He's overseas now."

The pink haired girl offered him a small smile, "I understand... Believe me." She said, motioning to her own attire. "But you can't let other people dictate what you wear. One more year and we're out of here. Their opinions won't matter."

Kurt smiled back and opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by the warning bell. "I'll see you at lunch." He said instead before turning to go down a nearby hallway.

 

xxx

"Hey." Kurt said as he took a seat at the small table across from Quinn.

"Hey, where's Mercedes today?" The pink haired girl asked before taking a bite of her vegetables.

"Out sick, she texted me this morning." He responded, grabbing his own fork.

"This doesn't have anything to do with yesterday, does it?" Quinn asked with a frown.

"No, she's actually sick, promise."

Quinn nodded slowly, hoping that he was right. She glanced around them before leaning in toward the boy. "You guys don't need to worry about being slushied anymore. I'm going to make sure of it."

"How?" Kurt asked, eying her curiously.

"I'm on the squad."

The boy blinked, "What?"

"I'm going to be a Cheerio." Quinn said with a barely concealed grin.

"Oh my God. How did you pull _that_ off?!" He asked, trying to keep his voice down despite his excitement.

Quinn sat back with a shrug. "Easy. They needed someone to fill a slot because of an injury."

"Oh my God." Kurt repeated, "Kitty is going to be beside herself."

The pink haired girl grinned, "I know."

She couldn't help but look toward the table the cheerleaders always sat at, confident that she was going to be able to successfully throw the blonde Queen Bitch off of her game.

 

xxx

Santana sighed and called out for the other girls to start their second stretch. She could feel Sue's gaze burning hot on the back of her head.

Another week had passed and they were no closer to filling their empty spot, the pressure was on now. Even if they could find a body to fill it, they would need to train them and make sure they were in shape for the first game.

Her eyes scanned the Cheerio's before her, she knew that the ones already on the team had her back but the pressure was still stressful.

"You're late." She heard the Coach bite out in a low voice behind her, followed by a gasp and shocked looks from the other girls. "Get stretching, Fabray."

" _Fabray_?" Santana echoed, her mouth agape as she turned to confirm the news. Quinn was standing awkwardly next to Sue in a black pair of shorts and a white tank top.

"Well, Sandbags, you were taking your good ole time finding me a replacement... So I found my own. Quinn, join the other girls in stretching." Sue said, waving her on toward the other Cheerios.

The pink haired girl winked as she passed Santana and waved as she approached the others. Garnering most of her satisfaction from the constipated look that was twisting up Kitty's features.

"Oh and Q?" The girl paused as she was lowering herself to the turf to look back at Sue. "For being late, you get to run extra laps. And you'd better be quick because we're going to need you for proper formation in the pyramid."

Quinn frowned and entered the same position as the snickering girls around her.

 

xxx

Practice went quickly for Santana. And while she was annoyed by Quinn's presence, it was worth it to see the girl so exhausted. She was seated on the ground, panting from having just finished a few extra laps around the field. The pink haired girl hadn't moved fast enough for Sue's liking initially so she had called her in to help with formation before sending her back out at the end.

Santana remained in her spot, jotting down a few notes on her clip board as the other Cheerios headed inside.

Once she was sure they were alone, she approached the other girl. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Quinn squinted up from her, panting with a wide grin. "Getting back at Kitty. Seemed like a good idea... In theory anyway."

"You're an idiot." Santana growled through clenched teeth, "I don't know how you convinced Sue... But as soon as we've got Allie back from her injury, you're gone. I promise you that."

The pink haired girl shrugged before forcing herself up onto unsteady legs, "Fine by me. I didn't plan on doing this for the entire year, _Sandbags_. _"_

Santana glared as the girl passed her to head for the building and moved to catch up. "You think this is some kind of joke, don't you? It's my life. Kitty isn't the only one you're messing with."

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Actually, she is. This has nothing to do with you, so leave it and me alone."

Santana fell back slightly, fuming in silence as she and Quinn headed into the locker room. They didn't make it very far though, Sue was waiting for them just inside.

"There you two are. Santana, as my Captain, I need you to whip this one into shape." She ignored the way the brunette huffed and rolled her eyes. "You have until the end of next week to get her up to speed."

"What?" Santana squeaked, her mouth agape. "How the hell am I supposed to manage _that_ , Coach?"

"You have the whole weekend, Sandbags. Make it work."

Santana stood still, glaring at the older woman until she disappeared around the corner. She shot Quinn a glare of her own and the pink haired girl held up her hands innocently.

"How was I supposed to know she'd do that?" She asked, one eyebrow high above the other.

"You had better give this one hundred percent Fabray, because I am not wasting my time just to have you fuck around..." She muttered, starting to walk again down the small hallway that turned into the locker room.

"Well, do you want to come to my place? We have a spare room and a big yard, even a pool to cool down after." She offered, trying to cheer the brunette up in any way she could.

"No, you're coming to mine." Santana said firmly as she paused by her locker, "Give me your number... I'll text you the address."

Quinn tried to fight the urge to smirk at that and instead did as she was asked before moving to her own locker and stripping out of her sweaty clothes.

 

xxx

Santana had been gone by the time Quinn made it out of the showers and most of the other girls had been, too. She was grateful for the quiet of the muggy room as she slid back into her normal clothing to head home for the day.

Her Mother had been waiting for her in the living room, eager to hear about her first day on the squad.

Quinn immediately told her about her plans to head to Santana's so that she could catch up on her running endurance and the other exercises she needed to do to insure she was in shape. Her Mother had followed her upstairs as she recounted the practice, a little disappointed she had been late for her first day.

She had explained to her that she had made it up to the grumpy Coach and that she was going to make sure to be on time from that point on.

Her Mother had insisted she stay for dinner and Quinn agreed, knowing Santana would probably want some time to herself before she intruded on her weekend.

That was two hours ago and now Quinn stood awkwardly on the Lopez's front porch. She raised her hand slowly before rapping it against the solid wood.

There was a moment of silence before the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard from inside. Quinn swallowed thickly, trying to calm herself as the door was pulled open.

A young woman, probably late twenties peered out from inside. "Oh, hello." She said, surprise dripping from her tone as she took in the pink hair and clothing.

Quinn was about to respond when another voice came from behind the brunette, "Took you long enough. Didn't think you were going to show, Fabray."

The Skank was relieved to have Santana appear in the doorway, her hand on her hip and her hair in a loose pony tail. "Well, are you going to come in?"

"Santana..." The older brunette chided, "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

"Gabriela, this is Quinn. Quinn, my cousin Gabriela. We aren't friends." Santana said as she started back for the stairs.

Quinn offered Gabriela a smile as she stepped inside, clutching the strap of her bag tighter. "Nice to meet you."

"You too, Pepto." Gabriela said with a wink, "I've heard quite a bit about you. Don't mind her. She's always like this."

The pink haired girl blinked at the use of Santana's nickname for her, glancing once toward the retreating figure of the younger brunette before flashing Gabriela another smile. "Thanks for the heads up." She said before moving up the steps herself.

She reached the top just in time to see Santana disappear into a room at the end of the hallway. She peered around the door when she reached it and was surprised to find that the brunette's room was painted dark.

Dark gray, almost black walls with a few band posters here and there. Her bed was large, probably a queen, and was fitted with what appeared to be black silk sheets.

"Nice." Quinn breathed, pushing the door open a little wider as she made her way inside.

"Don't get too comfortable... You're on the couch. I'd offer you the spare bedroom but that's where Gabby is." Santana said as she pulled her hair-tie out to let her hair down. The brunette was seated at her desk, facing away from the pink haired girl.

"Look, Santana... I really didn't mean to do all of this to stress you out. I did it because of Kitty-"

"That's still not a good reason to join the squad. I'm the Captain, did you really think that it wouldn't affect me?" The other girl snapped, her dark eyes narrowing into a glare. "It's my Senior year and I'm already going insane over the normal Cheerios shit. I don't need some punk jumping on board just to get back at one of the bitches I'm in charge of."

Quinn lowered her gaze, "I really didn't think of it that way, I'm sorry."

"Of course you are..." Santana muttered, rolling her eyes before turning back to face her desk. "Just don't make things any more difficult on me or I'll make you regret it."

Quinn arched a brow at that, "Or you'll do what?" She asked, a small smirk playing at her lips.

"I will have you running more suicides than you can count, Fabray." Santana said, her voice hinting that she wasn't in the mood for games.

"Gross." The pink haired girl sighed, depositing her bag on the floor before flopping onto the bed. "I thought maybe you'd have a more interesting way of punishing me."

Santana whipped around to face her, her eyes wide. "What?! No, _that_ is gross."

"Don't lie, Lopez. I bet you're a total top in bed." Quinn said, leaning back so that her torso was resting on her forearms.

Santana narrowed her eyes and frowned deeper but the blush blossoming across her cheeks was answer enough. She might have only really slept with Puck and Brittany but she had hated the idea of someone dominating her. Puck had tried to act all tough and masculine about it but Brittany had just sort of gone with the flow. Santana shook her head, Brittany was her _exception_ , she didn't need to be justifying that in her head. "Shut up." She muttered, getting up to head for her bedroom door.

Quinn arched a brow, her smile pulling wider at the obvious show of embarrassment. "Oh c'mon now, don't be shy!"

Santana shut her door before quickly turning on the other girl, "Will you keep it down? Last thing I need is my cousin thinking something is going on between the two of us." She hissed.

"Girls talk about sex all of the time without people thinking anything is off." The Skank responded, unimpressed by the excuse. "And if we're going to have to put up with one another... We might as well be friends. Get to know each other better, right?"

"Whatever but sex is not up as a topic for conversation." The brunette grumbled, sitting rigidly on the bed beside the other girl.

"Fine." Quinn agreed, glad that Santana wasn't going to fight her on the chance to become actual friends. "Why's your cousin staying here?"

"She's a paramedic, my Dad is a doctor. He is giving the chance at more opportunities if she wants to take them. My parent's aren't home much so her part of the deal was staying here to keep an eye on me." She answered, picking at her nails. "What about you... Why'd you move just before your senior year?"

The Skank chewed on her lip for a moment before responding, "My parents got a divorce, Mom wanted to put some space between us and my Dad. The house was a decent price and she said the school seemed good." She answered with a shrug.

Santana frowned, "I'm sorry to hear that."

Quinn shrugged, "It was for the best. Our family wasn't really a happy one. My Mom's doing a lot better without my Dad around and so am I. And he's still got my sister talking to him so... He's fine too, I'm sure."

"You don't miss him at all? I mean... My parent's are barely home because of work but I would be devastated if they told me they were getting a divorce."

The pink haired girl laughed lightly, "I miss the Dad I knew when I was five. He's been gone for a long time."

Santana was about to ask what it was Quinn meant when she heard Gabriela call from the steps for them.

"What is it, Gabby?" Santana asked as she pulled bedroom door open.

"Do you guys want a pizza? I figured I would relax tonight and let someone else do the cooking. We can watch some movies too, if that doesn't cramp your style."

The younger brunette glanced toward Quinn, arching an eyebrow in a silent question.

"I already ate but I'm all for some movies."

"We'll be down in a second, Gabby! You know what kind of pizza I like and Pepto already ate!"

Quinn watched as a genuine smile spread across Santana's face. And even though the other girl might not have been thrilled about why she joined, she was glad that she did.

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

_Quinn turned, looking around in the dimly lit space. She was on the outskirts of a dance floor that had been spread out in a gymnasium. She could tell that she was dreaming, a blonde strand of hair slipping into her line of view as she turned her head._

_It was a memory, she was in the gymnasium of her old school for her homecoming dance._

_As the realization dawned on her, she could feel herself slipping back into her Sophomore year self. An emptiness filled her chest and her eyes scanned the myriad of faces around her. She had lost her weight over the summer, thanks to her Father paying for her to have it removed via surgery. He had seen her trying to diet to no avail and pushed her into it. The results had been what she was looking for physically but it hadn't been as successful at school._

_She was pretty now, and thin and yet she hadn't made any new friends. She wasn't any more popular than she had been at the end of the previous year._

_The blonde stared longingly at a group of popular girls who were nearby. They were chatting by a small, circular table. Taking a break from dancing and having fun, what she should have been doing. One of them noticed her staring and alerted the others, they all looked at her then. They shook their heads, giggling more before disappearing back into the crowd on the dance floor._

_Lucy looked down, dejected and stood alone a while longer before someone spoke up next to her._

_"Hello." The girl said in a soft voice._

_Surprised, Lucy fought the urge to jump and instead mumbled back a quick 'hi.'_

_She'd seen the other girl around the halls but has always steered clear of her. She's normally dressed in all black, with fishnet gloves and thick eyeliner. The other students say that she's weird, a_  freak.

_For the dance she was dressed in a knee length, strapless dress. It's electric blue, like the streak in her hair, accented with black lace._

_"You're really pretty." The girl said, a small smile playing at her lips._

_Lucy just stared at her, too shocked to do anything else._

_"Just thought you should know." The brunette added before walking away._

Quinn gasped, suddenly forced back into consciousness as something hit her solidly in the torso. The pink haired girl first glared blearily at the pillow now lying on the floor next to the couch before twisting her head up toward the person that threw it.

"What the hell was  _that_  for?" She asked, annoyed.

Santana leaned on the back of the piece of furniture, her hand on her hip. "I called your name like three times... You just mumbled and stayed asleep."

Quinn's eyes widen slightly, "What was I saying?"

Santana narrowed her eyes at the blush that creeps across the other girl's cheeks. "Nothing that I could make out. Now come on, _get up_. It's time for breakfast."

Quinn glanced toward the window, irritation clouding her features. "The sun isn't even up."

"So? What the hell do you think morning practices are going to be like, Pepto?"

The pink haired girl glared after Santana as she made her way toward the kitchen. She sighed, giving a small stretch before swinging her legs over the side of the couch.

A few minutes later she was padding her way across the cold tile to join the other girl by the counter.

"Ew, what the hell is that?" Quinn asked, wrinkling her nose at the thick green-grey concoction that Santana was shaking up in a water bottle.

"Protein shake, Cheerio power breakfast."

"Ever heard of eggs?" The pink haired girl asked, her lips curling up slightly as she turned the container around to get a look at the ingredients.

"Too fatty. Sue's diet is strict, Pepto. Or didn't she tell you that when you signed your soul away?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and leaned against the counter, "She failed to mention it."

The two stood in silence for a few minutes, Santana alternating from one hand to the other as she shook up the mixture, insuring that the powder was dissolved.

"Who's Rachel?" She asked suddenly, her eyes moving to meet Quinn's.

The other girl stared at her a moment, shocked. "I don't know?"

"Don't lie to me, Pepto. You said her name in your sleep, who is she? Your ex or something?"

Quinn ran a hand through her still messy hair before turning for the living room, "I'm going to get dressed."

Santana arched a brow, her frown deepening as she watched the other girl walk away.

xxx

"This shit is disgusting." Quinn gagged, her face scrunched up as she struggled to keep the thick shake down.

"You get used to it." Santana shrugged, flipping up her hood as she leaned back in the chair. They were out on the Lopez's deck now, the brunette reclining in a chair as she watched the Skank struggle.

"Do I really have to drink  _all_  of it?"

The brunette narrowed her eyes, "Are you five? Yes, you  _have_  to drink all of your breakfast."

Quinn sighed, shooting the bottle one last glare before tipping it back to chug the contents. She failed to notice Santana watching her with obvious amusement. The brunette couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head when the pink haired girl gagged after downing three fourth of the bottles contents.

"You're going to make yourself puke. Okay, fine, that's enough for now. You can finish the rest when you're done." She said, waving her hand to emphasize her point.

Quinn shut the cap before placing the bottle down on the table, "So, what's first?"

"Run your laps." Santana said, "And try not to barf all over the place. If you do, you'll be spending the rest of the day cleaning up the yard."

The other girl rolled her eyes before jumping to her feet and descending the steps down into the grass. The brunette watched from her chair as Quinn started running along the fence and gardens lining her back yard.

xxx

"How many of these do I have to do?" Quinn gasped, her arms burning as she struggled to hold herself in an upright position.

"At least fifty. If you have to finish on your knees, go ahead. But those are pussy push ups, Fabray."

Quinn narrowed her eyes, her arms beginning to shake slightly. "I kind of thought we'd start in smaller intervals and work our way up. That's how I learned before,  _Lopez_."

Santana laughed, "Oh, that's hilarious. Did you hear Sue? She wants you whipped into shape. That means, we aren't giving you training wheels. Your muscles burning is what we want. That protein will build them back up, twice as strong. Just don't tear them completely or both our asses are screwed."

The pink haired girl released a breath with a sound that was similar to a whine and she struggled to lower herself back toward the ground. She grit her teeth and tried to power through the next few push ups but still found herself struggling.

Before she knew it, she heard footsteps coming toward her.

"No, no... You're bowing your back. You need to keep your body straight." Santana said, kneeling beside her. "Those don't count, try again."

"What the fuck do you mean, _'those don't count?'_  I can't do them over, my arms are going to fall off!" Quinn panted, her eyes clamped shut. She let out a loud gasp when she felt pressure on her stomach and was surprised to see that it was Santana's hand. The brunette had her fixed with an exasperated glare.

"They don't count." She repeated, her voice hinting that she wasn't going to budge on the subject. "Do them again. If you can do them correctly, I'll shave ten off of your final number."

Quinn's jaw flexed and she had to swallow a retort before collecting herself to start again. Trying very hard to ignore the tingling sensation that the other girl's touch had brought to her already overwhelmed body. Once she did, she felt Santana's hand move away slightly, only pressing into her again when her back started to give.

"Keep it straight." Santana reminded, her voice even.

Quinn's arms trembled but she did her best to obey and several push ups and minutes later, the brunette was telling her to stop.

"There. Was that so hard, Fabray?" Santana said, standing over the exhausted Skank.

"You're evil. You and Sue both."

"What sports did you do before? Because you are pathetic."

"I took kick boxing classes for a while..." Quinn panted, "but it's been forever and I started smoking."

Santana rolled her eyes, "Yeah, that shit is disgusting. You need to quit."

Quinn just returned the gesture before allowing her head to lull back as she tried to regain her normal breathing. The sun was warm on her skin but the early morning was still cool enough that she wasn't too overheated. A light sheen of sweat was all that she'd worked up, even with all of the effort she'd put in.

She peeked one eye open to look at Santana who was still glaring at her, one eyebrow arched above the other.

They had a good night but the mood had seemed to disappear while they were both sleeping. It had merely been a temporary cease fire, apparently. The more she thought about it, Quinn guessed that Santana had just kept her temper in check for Gabriela's sake. The older brunette was the complete opposite of her younger cousin. She was friendly and open, sassy without the temper.

"Come on... You can be done for now. We'll do an evening run later."

"Together?" Quinn asked, straightening back up as Santana moved for the deck.

"Yes, together." Santana said with a shrug of her shoulders, "You'd better keep up though, Pepto."

xxx

It took Quinn several minutes to finish her protein shake and make her way inside. She closed the door quietly behind her and looked around, slightly confused. The downstairs was dark and silent, Santana no where in sight.

_"Hey, where are you?"_  The pink haired girl hissed, trying to keep her voice low enough that it wouldn't carry upstairs and disturb Gabriela.

When no response came, she started to quietly search the first floor for the brunette. When she was sure that Santana was not downstairs, she snuck her way up the steps and toward the other girl's room.

"There you are."

Santana arched a brow and glanced over her shoulder from where she was sitting at her desk. She had her email open but quickly closed out of the internet before shutting her computer. "You look disgusting... Let me grab you a towel so you can rinse off the smell of failure before you spread it all over the house."

"That was totally a Sue line. You're beginning to sound like her, Lopez."

Santana let out a disgruntled noise but didn't respond otherwise as she moved passed the pink haired girl and back into the hall. Quinn followed quietly behind her as she headed into the upstairs bathroom. She opened the closet to the right of the door, picking out a large, plush towel before placing it on the counter.

"I'm sure you're intelligent enough to figure out the shower. 'C' is for cold and the 'H' stands for hot..."

Quinn's eyes narrowed into a glare and one brow arched slowly above the other but she remained silent as Santana finished sarcastically giving a quick breakdown of how to use her shower. As soon as she was finished the brunette turned on her heel, flicking on the fan before shutting the door behind her.

The pink haired girl ran her left hand through her damp hair as she pulled the shower curtain back with her right. The shower faucet did indeed look like it would be easy enough to figure out. The only thing she was hesitating about was whether or not she should get her clothes before or after the shower. With a shrug, Quinn peeled off her tee shirt before stripping herself of the rest of her clothing.

She sighed, glad to be free of the damp clothing and tight sports bra.

Quinn stepped up to the shower, setting the water to what she hoped would be the right temperature. She liked her showers  _hot_ , her parent's had always teased her when she had gotten out of the shower. She would leave the bathroom, skin practically still steaming and her feet bright red. Earning her the nickname  _'lobster feet.'_

The pink haired girl smiled at the memory, a small pang of nostalgia tightening her chest. Santana had a point, she may not have missed what her Father had become but she did miss what he used to be. With a sigh, Quinn stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind her. She let out a loud squeak when she found the jet of hot water was a little too hot, even for her.

Shocked, Quinn shoved herself back against the cool wall and tried to lean around the water to adjust the temperature.

"What are you doing in here?" Santana's voice asked suddenly in a hushed whisper and Quinn could see over the shower curtain that the door was open slightly.

"Uhh, sorry. Had the water too hot, it just surprised me... Got it now."

"Good. Try to keep it down. Gabriela's still sleeping and she only has this weekend before her crazy shifts start." The brunette mumbled, "Oh and here's a wash cloth. Make sure to get yourself clean, Pepto." She said placing a wash cloth on the bar supporting the curtain before shutting the door quietly.

Quinn sighed, glancing around at the variety of body wash already in the shower.

xxx

Santana glanced over toward the living room when she heard footsteps padding across the carpet. Her eyes widened and she nearly choked on her breakfast when she realized that it was Quinn and the pink haired girl was dropping her towel from her body.

Quinn looked over the top of the couch as she bent down to grab something from her bag. "What?" She asked as Santana coughed loudly in the other room.

"I kind of figured that you would come down  _dressed_."

The other girl laughed, "Did you see me with any clothes earlier? No."

Santana rolled her eyes and took another bite of her fruit, making sure to keep her eyes trained on the wall. She was glad that Quinn was far enough away to not be able to see her blush.

"Where should I hang this?" Quinn asked, holding up her towel now that she was decent.

Santana shrugged and kept her eyes on her food. "Anywhere upstairs, there's a rack across from and on the back of the door. Your choice."

Quinn didn't respond but the sound of her footsteps quietly going up the steps was answer enough for Santana. She exhaled slowly, calming herself so that her blush would be completely gone by the time Quinn was back on the first floor. That only took a minute or so and the pink haired girl made a bee-line for the dining room area where Santana was seated.

"Fruit! How come you get fruit?"

"Because I am already on point with my diet?" The brunette said, maintaining eye contact as she took another teasing bite.

Quinn groaned and slid into the chair across from her, watching Santana finish all but one bite of strawberry.

"Here." Santana huffed, pushing the bowl toward the pink haired girl. Quinn had already popped the fruit into her mouth when the she added, "On one condition..."

"Oh, because  _that's_  fair."

Santana smiled with a shrug, "I'm giving up my precious time to help you... The fruit was just a little reward for not giving me too much of a headache."

Quinn averted her eyes, "Fine, whatever. What?"

"Who's Rachel?"

"Oh my God, this  _again_? Why, are you jealous?"

Santana's expression remained neutral but inside the question had her panicking. Quinn's reluctance to answer her earlier that same morning had been bothering her since and she couldn't get it out of her head. She had tried to chalk it up to simple curiosity but some part of her knew that wasn't entirely it.

Quinn sighed, "She helped me come out. And although we didn't officially use any labels... Yes, I guess you could say that she is my ex."

Santana swallowed thickly at the response and tried to ignore the discomfort twisting her stomach. "Why'd you call it off?"

Quinn's eyes met hers again, she studied the brunette silently before answering. "Mostly the move and the divorce... I needed time to myself. To be there for my Mom, it was mutual... We're still on good terms and everything but I think she's with someone else now."

She could tell that the other girl had more to ask but Gabriela's approaching footsteps distracted the both of them.

"You two are up already? Man, I pity you." The older brunette yawned as she made her way into the kitchen.

"Us? You're the one that works the insane hours." Santana shot back, amusement coloring her tone.

Gabriela laughed and poured herself a bowl of cereal. "True, true... Hey, I just wanted to let you guys know that Leslie is going to be stopping by later."

"Is everything alright?" Santana asked, arching a brow. Quinn watched the exchange silently, amused by how different Santana acted whenever her cousin was around.

"Yeah! Of course! She's just getting used to living with one of our co-workers... He's a bit of a man-whore. Says she wants to give him some time alone with his date tonight."

The younger brunette nodded, "Alright, sounds good to me. Do they have history or something?"

Gabriela laughed and glanced back toward Santana, an amused smile playing at her lips. "Her and Severide? No, she's a lesbian."

A surprised look slipped over Santana's face and she nodded again, slower this time. "Oh, okay."

"What?" Gabriela asked, joining them at the table.

"I don't know... I just, wouldn't have expected her to be gay by looking at her." Santana said in a rather sheepish tone as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"And what are lesbians supposed to look like?" Quinn asked, trying hard not to laugh when the younger brunette shot her a glare.

"I don't know! Short hair, baggy clothes.."

Gabriela couldn't help but chuckle and shake her head, amused by her cousin's ignorance.

"You do know that there are different 'types' of lesbians, right?" Quinn asked, leaning in slightly. She was smiling but her tone was gentle, she could tell that Santana wasn't trying to be rude, she just wasn't familiar with the subject. She had been the same once.

"No?"

"Well, there are. Lesbians are just like any other girl, they have different styles and different tastes. Femmes or Lipstick lesbians tend to dress more feminine and wear make up. Chapstick lesbians tend to dress more casual and not wear as much makeup. And a Butch lesbian tends to dress more masculine and have their hair short. There are more but I think you get the idea."

Santana nodded, her eyes trained on the wood grain of the table.

"It's okay to not know that, Santana. I didn't know much about lesbians or the LGBT community for most of my life, because of my parents... Specifically my Father."

Gabriela nodded, "I grew up in a more open household I guess. I also had a friend in high-school who was gay."

Silence fell over the room then for several minutes, until Santana spoke up again. "I'm going to go do some homework. Feel free to come up if you want, Quinn."

The pink haired girl nodded and watched as Santana disappeared down the hall before heading up the steps. She felt a little awkward sitting beside someone she hadn't spent much time alone with but Gabriela was pretty easy to get along with.

"Don't take anything she says too personally... She... Struggles getting to know people, I think."

Quinn chewed on the inside of her cheek thoughtfully and nodded. "I kind of got that." She added, with a chuckle.

"Her parent's weren't around a lot when she grew up so I think she's just used to being on her own and dealing with her own stuff. She talks about you a lot though, I think you confuse her."

"Confuse her?"

"Yes." The older woman said with a small laugh. "I think she wants to be your friend but she's too caught up in her image at school. She's never had that happen before, I don't think."

They fell quiet again but it was more comfortable this time, "Thanks. Do you want this in the sink or...?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll put it in with mine then. Thank you."

Quinn smiled and nodded as she rose from the table, "I'm going to go join her for a bit. I'll see you later."

Gabriela nodded and took another bite of her cereal, glad to see someone other than Puck or Brittany stopping by the house to see Santana.

xxx

Santana looked up from her homework, her eyes studying Quinn's profile. The pink haired girl was lying on her stomach on the floor, reading one of her textbooks. The other girl had been on her mind all day, as much as she hated to admit it, even to herself. Their conversation about Rachel and the one they had shared with Gabriela made Santana realize how little she knew about the other girl and her orientation.

"I feel like there is something you aren't telling me."

Quinn blinked and turned her attention away from her book. "What?"

"With your parent's divorce, the move and Rachel. I feel like there's something you aren't saying." Santana clarified, blushing. She wasn't sure why she had spoken up but she was greatly regretting it.

Quinn pursed her lips and arched her brow. "Maybe there's a reason I'm not interested in talking about it."

"Why?" Santana asked, some of her confidence returning at the confirmation that there was  _something._

"Maybe I don't trust you." The pink haired girl answered, sitting up slightly.

Santana rolled her eyes and looked away. "I don't use secrets against people."

Quinn couldn't help but laugh, "Really? And I'm supposed to believe that? It's like the first line of the popular girl code."

Santana narrowed her eyes into a glare, "Fine. I don't use my  _friend's_  secrets against them."

A slow and genuine smile spread across Quinn's lips, "Oh, so we're friends now, huh?"

The brunette kept her glare, "Not if you're going to talk like  _that_."

Quinn chuckled, "Well... Do friends normally work their friends so hard during practice and then make them sleep on the couch?" The pink haired girl asked, her eyes sweeping over Santana's large bed.

The other girl sighed, seeing her point. "Fine. You can share my bed tonight."

"Well, if you're going to say it like  _that_." Quinn said, smirking and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, shut up." Santana muttered, averting her eyes and trying to ignore the slight fluttering sensation in her chest.

xxx

"You ready, Pepto?" Santana asked, finishing her last stretch before straightening back up.

Quinn sighed, rolling her shoulders as she straightened up as well. "As I'll ever be."

The two started down the street at a medium pace, keeping to the sidewalk as they made their way through the large development. Santana glanced toward the other girl as she pulled ahead slightly. "You're good at cardio, it looks like we just have to work on the rest of it."

Quinn laughed and side eyed the brunette as she evened them out again. "I ride my bike when I'm not using my car."

"Good. Now we just need to get you to quit smoking." Santana mumbled, hearing Quinn talk she could tell that she needed to work on her breathing, too.

They continued their jog for another ten minutes or so before coming back almost full circle to Santana's street. Just below the entrance to it though the brunette veered off to the side for a break. Quinn followed her quietly toward a large dirt pile on the outskirts of a new development who's houses were still mostly under construction. It was getting cooler out as dusk drew closer, the sunlight was fading quicker too.

Santana paused at the top of the dirt pile and sat down on a decent sized rock, Quinn mimicked the action on a nearby rock of her own. They sat there like that in silence for several minutes before Santana spoke up, her eyes on the sunset.

"Sorry about earlier... I didn't mean to sound like an ass."

Quinn lifted her head, eyes drifting toward the brunette. "It's alright, for once I could tell that you weren't trying to be."

Santana shot her a look, it wasn't quite a glare but it wasn't exactly friendly. "I'm being serious here."

The pink haired girl's smile fell slightly and she nodded, turning her attention toward the sky too. "Sorry, I'll try to be."

"Thanks." Santana mumbled, although there wasn't any malice behind it. "I just... I'm really out of my depth I guess. But I'm trying."

"I know you are. And I appreciate it. I guess you're not just some bitchy cheerleader."

Santana's dark eyes moved back toward Quinn and the sarcastic retort she'd been planning immediately faded away. The pink haired girl was giving her one of the most affectionate looks she had ever had turned in her direction and it made a warmth blossom across her chest and cheeks. She fought the urge to squirm under the direct eye contact and instead finally moved her eyes away and released a shaky breath.

"We should get back."

Quinn nodded, a little disappointed that the moment was already over. "Yeah, we probably should. I'm starving."

Santana rolled her eyes and dusted off her butt as the pink haired girl rose to her feet beside her. "I hope you like salad."

"As long as that isn't a euphemism." She said with a cheeky grin.

"Will you  _stop_?" Santana griped with a roll of her eyes. Quinn laughed and followed the other girl down the dirt pile, easily catching up to her.

"Why? You're so easy to get riled."

"Did you just call me easy?" Santana shot back, ignoring the way Quinn blatantly laughed in response.

"Well, if the shoe fits..."

"Just wait until tomorrow morning, Fabray... You'll get yours."

"Oh, come on Santana. You were actually playing along for a second there." Quinn pointed out, walking backwards just to make sure that the brunette didn't miss how amused she was by their current conversation.

"Shut up and come on." Santana muttered, speeding up and heading straight toward her home. Quinn grinned and chased after her. Reassured by the knowledge that she was slowly making some progress with the brunette.

xxx

Gabriela looked up as the front door opened, her eyes moving toward the hallway that led in from the foyer. "Hey girls, why don't you go freshen up?"

Santana entered the kitchen first, a smile playing at her lips. "Alright, smells good in here."

"All this one's fault." The older brunette said with a laugh before nodding toward Leslie.

The blonde waved from where she stood in front of the stove. "Hello! And who's this?"

Santana was about to respond when Quinn stepped forward, flashing the blonde a friendly smile. "Quinn Fabray and you must be Leslie."

"That would be me. Gabby was telling me that you two have to eat healthy... So I wanted to help out, this here is for us... But I've got some chicken grilling for you to accompany your salads."

"Oh, awesome! Thank you." Quinn gasped, her smile pulling wider. She was extremely grateful for the chance to eat something other than just a salad after working her body so hard over the course of the day.

Santana rolled her eyes at the other girl but nodded. "Yeah, thanks. Now come on, Pepto." The brunette said, pulling Quinn back toward the hallway.

"Hold on, would you? I want to grab my bag! Sheesh."

Leslie arched a brow and glanced toward Gabriela at the nickname. "It's a term of endearment."

The blonde laughed and shook her head, "Okay then."

xxx

"I'm going to go rinse off first since you've already had a shower today... Try not to get your stink all over everything." Santana groused as she dug a comfortable pair of sweats, underwear and tee shirt from her dresser.

"Yes ma'am." Quinn said with a roll of her eyes before purposely laying herself down and stretching out over Santana's black comforter. The brunette turned, her eyes wide and her expression looking like she was about to burst a blood vessel.

"So you lay yourself across my bed?" She bit out, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

"You said it yourself... I've already had one shower today, I'm not  _that_  dirty. Besides... It's been so long since I've felt the luxurious feel of a bed..." The pink haired girl sighed dramatically, peeking an eye open after a moment of silence to see that the brunette was still glaring at her. She chuckled and sat up, her smile shrinking dramatically but still staying in place. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'll behave myself. Now go."

Santana sighed and shook her head before turning to leave the room. Once she was gone, Quinn relaxed her posture slightly and began looking around from her spot on the bed. It was the first time that she had been left alone and she was struggling with the urge to snoop around a bit.

Unable to sit still, she rose to her feet before making her way over to Santana's bookcase. It contained a wide assortment of books and DVDs as well as some CDs. Most of the CDs were old, obviously from when the brunette was younger. She traced over them with her finger tips, amusement coloring her features as she looked over the spines.

She was sitting casually on the end of the bed when Santana finally came back about ten to fifteen minutes later.

The brunette's hair was still pretty wet, her towel wrapped around her neck to keep the moist strands from touching her tee shirt. She looked good dressed down and casual. Quinn's eyes glanced down, taking in the brunette's curves as she went.

"Your turn."

Santana's voice broke her out of her staring and by the look on the other girl's face, she had noticed.

Quinn grabbed her fresh clothes from where they had been sitting on the bed beside her before rushing passed the brunette and toward the bathroom. Santana watched her disappear into the hallway before shaking her head, a small smile playing at her lips as she grabbed a hoodie from her closet.

xxx

"So you two are both cheerleaders, right?" Leslie asked before taking a bite of her food.

Santana nodded, "She's a newbie to the squad so as Captain it is my job to get her up to speed."

The blonde nodded, looking between the two of them. "And how's that going?"

"Oh, you know... She's cracking the whip and I'm trying to keep up." Quinn replied, grumbling out a quick  _'ouch'_  when Santana kicked her under the table.

"It's still kind of early, hard to say..." The brunette said, keeping the older women's attention from the pink haired girl's pain. "We just need to have her up to speed by the first game, really. Or until our injured Cheerio gets back."

Leslie nodded and the table grew quiet for a few minutes as the women finished their meals. Quinn looked between Gabriela and Leslie, her curiosity getting the better of her. She knew that it probably wasn't the best thing to ask around a meal but she couldn't help herself.

"So you two are paramedics, right? Any weird or interesting cases?"

The blonde and brunette exchanged looks and a slow smile spread across Leslie's lips. "Well, actually... There was one just the other day that was quite the doozy."

"Oh, God. Not this..." Gabriela chuckled with a shake of her head.

"So, we get a call and we head out to this apartment building. We're told that the call was made from the basement floor of the place. And we get there and it's this dingy looking place that was one of those old warehouse turned apartment deals. But, really poorly done. Like, you never would have guessed anyone lived there by the first floor."

Quinn smiled, enjoying the way that Leslie was getting so animated about her story.

"So, we are walking through, a little confused because we don't see anyone..."

"Yeah and all of the sudden, we hear this noise and someone is talking to us!" Gabriela chimed in, "So we head toward the voice and just stop, dead in our tracks."

"Why?" Santana asked, her features already scrunched up slightly as if she's expecting the worst.

"Because there are two naked people standing in the elevator, looking straight at us."

"What?" Quinn and Santana asked in unison, one amused and the other mortified.

"So Gabby asks where the emergency is and they pretty much say  _'we'll take you to him.'_  So I'm like, how about you put on some clothes and then we'll follow you to your friend who apparently needs help... Despite the fact that you're standing in front of us completely chill and  _naked_." Leslie says before looking toward Gabriela as if to tell her to continue.

"They shoot back  _'we're completely comfortable with our bodies.'_  So we begrudgingly get in the elevator with them and they keep staring at us and checking us out! It was so creepy!"

Santana shook her head, "So, what was the call about? I mean, they said their friend needed help... What was wrong with him?"

"Ohh, see, there's where it gets even  _better._ " Leslie said, folding her arms over her chest with a chuckle. "Turns out the two lovely nudes we met had been engaged in a threesome with another man, a friend of theirs. They were playing around with tying each other up but apparently, they made their knots too tight and he was stuck... Dangling from the ceiling, completely naked. I'm all for people doing whatever in their bedrooms, really, I am. But the fact that they couldn't even respect us enough to put on clothes was a little rude." The woman said as she finished her story, she smiled at the way that Quinn was laughing. Santana for the most part was confused but she could see some level of amusement on the younger brunette's face.

"Wow, that is insane..."

"Not what you were expecting, huh?" Gabriela asked, a little disappointed she hadn't thought to bring that particular story up sooner.

"I was expecting a little more gore, definitely not  _that_."

"We have some of those too but... We'll save those for another time." Leslie said, looking over toward where Gabriela was beginning to gather her utensils onto her empty plate. "Here, let me get those."

"You don't have to... You're a guest."

"I insist, milady." Leslie said, bowing her head slightly as she rose from her seat before starting to collect the dishes.

"Leslie, really!" Gabriela said, rising to try and stop her friend. The blonde merely pulled away, clicking her tongue.

"No, no. I can manage it. I may be a guest because I've only been over a few times but we'll just have to change that, won't we?"

Quinn watched in amusement, her eyes shifting between the two. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"No, you are definitely a guest. Why don't you two go up and relax for a bit? I know you'll have to be up bright and early again tomorrow for your training."

"Thanks, Gabby." Santana said, smiling and standing from the table. "It was nice seeing you again, Leslie."

The two teens quickly made their way upstairs, Quinn right behind Santana. She followed the brunette into her bedroom, slowing her pace as she crossed over the threshold. "You're so respectful around Gabriela."

Santana shot the pink haired girl a look as she slid onto her back on her bed, "So? She's earned my respect."

"It's just a different side of you, I'm guessing most people don't get to see it."

"Yeah, they don't." Santana confirmed, her eyes still holding the hazel ones watching her.

Quinn dropped her gaze, a less confident look sliding over her features as she looked over the bed. "You sure about this? I can sleep on the couch, I was just messing with you."

Santana arched a brow, a little surprised by the sudden shift in the other girl's demeanor. "Yes, I'm sure. You were right earlier, you have no reason to trust me... And just like Gabriela earned my respect, I've got to earn your trust."

Quinn smiled at the response and approached the bed, settling herself at the base of it.

"Just... No spooning me or anything, okay?"

"Why, your tough reputation can't handle a little cuddling?"

Santana rolled her eyes, "I'm serious. I don't like people invading my personal space without my permission, Pepto."

Quinn couldn't tell if she was truly being serious or not so she just shrugged, "Alright, I'm going to go get changed."

Santana watched quietly as the pink haired girl gathered her pajamas, tooth brush and toothpaste. She quickly got lost in her thoughts and didn't see the other girl leave her room. Things may have been looking up between her and Quinn but that didn't mean that everything was going to be okay. There was still the rest of the squad, specifically Kitty, to deal with come Monday.

The blonde had been quiet after Quinn appeared at their last practice but Santana doubted she would stay quiet for long.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ And thank you to anyone who read this! I hope you liked it! I am extremely excited for this story and what I have planned for it. I wanted to briefly go into some of the stuff that will be explained in more detail later... Just in case there is any confusion.
> 
> Santana's cousin, Gabriela Dawson is actually a character from NBC's Chicago Fire. She and the other character, Leslie will actually be in the story. Any others mentioned however will be just that... Merely mentioned, not actually showing up. That said I didn't feel the need to actually have it set as a crossover.
> 
> Quinn's background for this AU will be explained later, most likely in chapter 3. Why she moved, what happened before the move, etc. She is Skank Quinn and was never HBIC Quinn because of that I made small changes to her character. Like, I figured she wouldn't have rhythm and wouldn't be nearly as good at dancing as she is in the show. Some other stuff will come into play later on, I don't want to give too much away. I will already be working on chapter two so please, don't be afraid to tell me what you think!


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